A Change of Seasons
by XeroKitty
Summary: A sequel to 'Different Seasons'. Naruto has become the Rokudaime Hokage and Sasuke has become the father of two extremely gifted children. Together they must think of a way to rescue the Raikage from a rebel group called the "Heaven's Guard".
1. Spring Kisses

_**A Change of Seasons**_

_A future in which Sasuke is married and Naruto is Hokage._

**Warning: **There is a long period of time where Naruto and Sasuke are _not_ together. This begins as a SasuHina, moves into a KibaHina and SasuNaru, and ends in death. I'm warning you, _death_. This story, like its partner _**Different Seasons**_, has its ups and downs. You've been warned.

**Disclaimer:** Kishimoto's, not mine. God, I wish I owned my own Sasuke and Naruto. I'd make them do things to each other for my own enjoyment endlessly. The chapter titles are taken from the doujinshi "'_Yukimachiya' Four Seasons, I Love You"_ by Amemiya Kazuyuki and Ichihara Tetuno, found on Zettai-Hentai.

**Notes: **I've actually had this planned out since I first thought of the idea for _**Different Seasons**_. I wanted to write about children in the _Naruto_ world. I also wanted Sasuke to lift himself from 'run away' status to 'hero' status, because I really do like him and I feel bad when people rip on his character. Their comments are well-deserved, but still, Sasuke is Sasuke after all. Like Naruto once said, "if Sasuke started sprouting fuzzy happy hearts and rainbows, I'd be worried". Please don't hate me for the cliffhangers, or the messed up relationships. I promised a SasuNaru, and I shall deliver it! Now, on to the madness.

* * *

_**Spring Kisses**_

_**1**_

She flew through the legs of the crowd like a small, sharp black kunai, darting in and out of throngs and tangles of people that grouped together on the market streets. Distantly behind her, the sounds of her fellow classmates escaping for the afternoon shrilled out over the crisp spring air. Somewhere in that tangle was her brother, slower than her only by a hair, but too kind to shove his fellow classmates away and make a break for early freedom. He was probably sitting in the classroom and waiting for it to clear, talking with Iruka-sensei. Herself, on the other hand, was flying back toward home as fast as her short legs would go because her favorite uncle had just arrived home that morning and she couldn't wait to see him again after so many weeks of being alone. Not that she was really alone, but Uncle Neji was the only grown-up she knew that actually seriously trained with her, and it thrilled her to be getting lessons from one of the most elite ninjas in all of Konoha. She ran faster at the simple thought of it, as light with her joy as a cherry blossom floating through the air overhead.

* * *

He bade goodbye to his favorite teacher, promising to remind his sister about the homework assignment due on Friday. Iruka-sensei had been concerned with the way she had rocketed from the classroom when the final bell rang, but when he'd explained that their mother's cousin had come home from a long mission he seemed to understand. The two children were as different from each other as night and day, but he felt as if he could understand his sister's aloof and somewhat moody behavior, as she could sense his true self behind his shy and quiet exterior. Twins were like that, he supposed.

"What's got you looking so troubled, Haku?" A familiar voice pulled him up from his thoughts. He briefly caught a glimpse of the empty schoolyard and then looked up into the smiling face framed with blond locks.

"Uncle Naruto!" he exclaimed, his normal reserved self forgotten in his happiness.

* * *

"Good work, Hana," Hyuuga Neji relaxed and so did the smaller girl after another moment. Glittering diamond beads of sweat trickled down her angelic, round face while she smiled broadly as she seldom did. The only people to see such a smile were her immediate family and her two favorite uncles and favorite aunt (she just happened to like Uncle Neji a little more than the others). "Let's both get some water, hm?" he gave her one of his own rare smiles and her heart fluttered and her mind reeled in the pure and simple joy that only a child can feel around the people she loved. As they stepped onto the raised wooden platform surrounding the house to enter through the back door, the paper frame slid back to reveal her mother, her brother, and yet another guest.

"Hana! Neji!" Hinata called and turned her wide white eyes to the outside. She jumped slightly when she saw the two of them standing there on the back porch as if waiting. She stumbled over her words a little bit, but recovered and smiled at her family. "Haku's home, and he's brought a visitor."

"Uncle Neji!" the black haired boy called and ran out of the house in his slippers to wrap his arms around the tall man's waist. Neji ruffled the short, tidy black hair and smiled again.

"Hello, Haku," he said and looked up at the other man. "Hokage," he nodded.

"Oh, stop it," Uzumaki Naruto wrinkled his nose. "The official stuff stays at the office, Neji. You promised."

"My apologies then," Neji said.

"Will you both be staying for dinner?" Hinata offered and both children turned to their favored uncles expectantly.

"Pleeeeeeeeease?" they pouted in identical twin-like pleas.

Naruto melted easily. "Of course!"

Neji fought it for exactly seven seconds. "All right."

"YAY!" both children leapt for joy.

"Alright, they're staying," their mother spoke to the excited children gently. "That means that Hana must take a shower while Haku sets the table. When dinner is over, Hana will clear the table and Haku will shower." She raised an eyebrow. "Deal?"

"Agreed!" they twinned again and dashed into the house to set about doing what they were told. Hinata straightened and beamed at the two men.

"Thank you, both of you," she said meaningfully.

"Thank you for inviting us," Neji waved off her politeness. "Besides, I haven't had a decent meal in weeks." That made his cousin laugh, the sound echoing through the large house like tiny silver bells, seeming to light up the darkly-decorated interior as it travelled along the walls. Naruto stared absentmindedly at those walls for half a moment before he addressed his friend.

"Where's Sasuke? I thought he'd be back by now," the blond commented.

"He was called out some time ago," she said thoughtfully, her white eyes turning up to the ceiling. "I didn't see by whom. He said he'd be back in a moment, though…"

"And I am," a new voice came from the foyer. Shoes hit the wooden floor, slippers scuffed across the carpet in the living room, and Uchiha Sasuke entered the hallway, looking as cool and regal as ever. He stopped by the kitchen doorway to look in at the young boy setting the table, then he continued to the other three near the back of the house. "I'm back, Hinata," he told his wife. Then, to his fellow Anbu: "Welcome back, Neji." His sharp dark amber eyes flickered to Naruto for a brief second and his head dipped in a slight nod of acknowledgement. "Hey."

"Welcome home, Sasuke," Hinata bowed respectively to her husband.

"Thank you," Neji nodded respectively to his cousin-in-law.

"Hey," Naruto gave a similar incline of his head. Neji and Sasuke, who were not ones for talking, did not bother to offer a start to a conversation and Hinata was never one to begin talking on her own, so it all fell to the blond. His lips kicked up into a too-friendly smile. "I ran into your son in the schoolyard on my way back from lunch, so I decided to walk him home."

"You mean, you decided to skip out on the rest of your duties for today," Sasuke shot back without missing a beat.

"How could you say that?" Naruto cried indignantly with a too-exaggerated pout. "Here I am, slaving away at being the best damn hokage I can be, and you're insinuating that I'm lazing off!"

"I'm not insinuating, I'm telling," Sasuke smirked evilly.

"Not fair!" Naruto wailed.

Hinata and Neji exchanged glances. The younger woman smiled thinly. Neji's eyes narrowed slightly as he inspected her. Then Haku came scuffling into the room.

"Father!" his voice and gait picked up as he hurried to the tallest man's side.

"Haku," he spoke his son's name in a soft voice. Naruto's blue eyes became clouded. Hinata noticed but Neji did not, because he was watching his cousin and not the hokage. Sasuke placed a gentle hand on the soft, straight black hair that fell over the boy's ears and smiled tenderly downward. "Did you start your homework yet?"

"It's not due until Friday, Father," the boy shook his head.

Sasuke frowned slightly. "Id rather you start on it now," he said in a tone that meant he thought the boy should have had it done already. The pupil-less white eyes winced ever so slightly and fell down to the spot in the floor between his feet.

"I'm sorry, Father," was all he could say, ashamed and timid. Sasuke's look flickered, and he knelt in front of the young boy, placing a hand on his frail shoulder.

"Do you need help with it?" he said in a much kinder voice. The boy shook his head negatively, refusing to look up. "Then you can start it after dinner with Uncle Neji, is that alright?" A slight and bashful nod. "Go wash up for dinner." The boy left without another word, his shoulders down. Sasuke rose, watching his son travel up the hall and around the corner to the bathroom out of sight. Naruto watched from behind everyone else, a disconnected look on his face. Hinata watched the exchange between father and son tight-lipped but silent. Neji kept on watching Hinata. Banging noises upstairs alerted them that the little girl had finished with her shower. Her noises shook the adults out of their awkward moment, and they wordlessly passed into the dining room to finish the preparations for dinner.


	2. Spring, 2

_**2**_

"Hokage-sama?" a woman knocked, calling clearly through the large wooden double doors. "I have the reports from the hospital here for you."

"Come in, Sakura," Naruto did not look up from his scribbling. One of the doors slid open and Haruno Sakura slipped into the warm orange and maple wood office, smiling at her friend. She closed the door after her and crossed to the long desk that stretched before the portrait window which looked down onto the city, placing her file on a clear surface and crossing her arms, leaning a hip against the desk and waiting. Naruto's pen halted on the period of his most recent sentence and he stopped writing to give her his undivided attention, flashing her one of his bright, winning smiles. "Hello!"

"Hey, Naruto," she chuckled. "I heard you had dinner at Sasuke's last night."

He made a face. "It was more like, I inhaled what Hinata gave me and ran."

"At least you saw Hana and Haku, right?" she asked. "How are they?"

"They're good. Hana's excited that Neji's home."

"And are you planning on sending him out again?" she motioned with her chin to the papers under his hand.

"Huh?" he looked down. "Oh, no. I got a letter from Gaara," he picked up a scroll from underneath the clutter of papers and waved it around a bit. "I asked him to let me know what was going on with Cloud, and he had Temari write me up a report."

"What's it say?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Well," he held it back down and frowned at it a bit, "he says the Water Country is really hesitant to let them continue negotiations within their borders, so he's thinking of travelling all the way to Cloud Country."

"I hope not," she shook her head. "That would be really dangerous."

"Baa-chan said that when my…" he cleared his throat, "my father was hokage, he made trips into Rock, Sand, and Water all the time." He smiled. "I'm sure if his brother and sister go with him, he'll be fine."

"Maybe you can send him some help?" she gestured at the unwritten letter.

"That's what I was thinking of offering," he nodded, "but I'm afraid he might turn it away, you know, because he doesn't think that he'll need help."

"Sounds like you," Sakura laughed.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her: "Well excuse me!"

They began to laugh when another knock interrupted their banter. Sakura straightened and picked up her file, sliding it across the messy desk at him. "Those are all the physical exam results you requested for the Anbu currently on active duty," she reminded him. "Next week we'll start testing the ones who are on the backlists. I'll give you those results when we get them in." She turned and headed for the door, waving over her shoulder at him. "I'll let your next guest in. See you later, Hokage."

She opened the door and froze for a full three seconds. Naruto looked around her at the person standing there. Uchiha Sasuke was raising an eyebrow at the pink-haired woman. "Can I come in?" he asked both her and the blond further in.

"Sure, of course!" Sakura recovered and forced a big smile and opening the door wider so he could step inside past her. He did so, giving her another strange look. His black amber eyes slid over to the other man and he nodded.

"Rokudaime."

"Uchiha," Naruto nodded back.

"So formal, the two of you," Sakura rolled her eyes and waved to them both. "I'll get those reports to you soon, Naruto. See you later, Sasuke." She left, closing the door behind her. A slightly tense silence followed her departure. Naruto cleared his throat abruptly and shuffled around papers on his desk.

Without turning around, Sasuke addressed him: "It won't get any cleaner no matter how much you move it around."

"Well, excuse me," he said for the second time in ten minutes, but his voice dripped with sarcasm instead of mirth. "I don't have a wife who cleans up after me all the time."

Sasuke turned to face the other man in profile, flinching slightly at the low blow. "What's with the attitude?"

"I don't have an attitude," the blond replied a little stiffly.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Sasuke shrugged, turning all the way around to face him. Naruto clenched his teeth but kept the annoyed growl locked in his throat. More and more often as of late, his patience with his friend was becoming harder and harder to maintain. Naruto tried to tell himself he was stressed and worried over Gaara's current situation, but deeper inside, he understood that it was because of his inability to fully be himself around the other man like he had before. He had a wife, and he had children now—a beautiful girl and a genius boy—and the times they had together alone to just be themselves were few and far between. It bothered Naruto, more than he would ever admit out loud.

"What's up, Sasuke?" he sighed.

"…I have," he said with what was apparently much difficulty, "something I want to ask you about."

This perked Naruto's interest. "About?"

"Haku."

_His son?_ "What about him?" the blond blinked in surprise.

"You… I…" Sasuke turned his head and looked away, a hint of red flashing across his cheeks. "He…"

"Is something wrong with him?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shook his head. "Is he in trouble or anything?" Another negative shake of the head from the other man. "Did he say something?" There was hesitation. "Did he say something about _you_?"

"Actually, he said something about _you_," Sasuke grumbled, sounding none too happy with this admission.

"Me?" Naruto was even more confused. "Is he upset at me? Did I do something wrong?"

Sasuke's lips tightened as he shook his head one more time. "That's just it—he says he wants to be just like you when he grows up."

"Like me!" Naruto jumped in his chair. "He must have been pulling your leg or something—"

"Haku never jokes, that's the problem," the black-haired man wrinkled his nose. "He's too much like his mother: shy, quiet, reserved. The only thing he takes after me in is his brains."

"That was a little cruel," Naruto winced for Hinata in her absence.

"But Hana's exactly like me: direct, strong, and quick. She even has my eyes," he tapped the area beneath his own dark eyes with one finger. "But she looks up to her uncle, Neji." He let out a dejected sigh. "I don't know what to do, and I can't ask Neji—he'd just laugh at me—so you're the only one I _can_ ask. Why do the kids like _you_ more than then like _me_?"

Naruto was just stunned. He leaned back in his chair and gave a good long look-over of the other man, to see if he was truly being serious about this. He was. The blond threw back his head and cackled madly. Sasuke shot him a glare, but it wasn't all that threatening because his eyes were reflecting his confusion at the odd reaction to his question. Naruto held his stomach and howled, tears of laughter springing into his eyes. Sasuke stood up straight and crossed his arms, waiting. The blond giggled and chuckled himself into a semi-composed state, opened his eyes to look at the other man, and began to laugh hard again. Someone opened the office door; it was Konohamaru.

"What's going on in here?" he asked, his bewildered voice making Naruto laugh harder. Sasuke shot him a glare, this one full and sharp with anger. The younger man 'eep'ed and quickly closed the door. Sasuke continued to wait. Naruto's peals of laughter eventually began to taper off and he straightened in his chair, wiping tears from his eyes and gasping for breath.

"Oh, Sasuke, you kill me!" he snickered, leaning his elbows against the table and grinning up at the other man.

"I'm about to, if you don't explain what's so damn funny," he snapped.

"You!" Naruto cackled again, fighting to restrain himself from another giggle fit. "Just now, when you asked me that question, you sounded like a pouty little five year old!"

"Yeah, well, nevermind I asked," Sasuke turned on his heel and went for the door.

"No, wait, Sasuke, come back!" Naruto let out one last giggle, waving the other man back. The black-haired Anbu hesitated at the door, his hand on the latch.

He could sense people crowded around on the other side, and had to smother the urge to fling it open and send them flying backwards. He let go of the handle and returned to the desk, glowering. Naruto smiled at him disarmingly, propping his chin in his hands.

"What?" he sulked.

"I'm almost done here," Naruto gestured at his cluttered desk. "I'm going to finish up on this letter and take a lunch break." His blue eyes sparkled. "Would you like to join me?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Sure. I can wait."

"Good," Naruto beamed. "Just let me finish this up and I'll get—" his voice abruptly raised and he leaned over to shout at the door "—KONOHAMARU TO SEND IT OUT FOR ME!"

"How'd he know?" Konohamaru's muffled voice could be heard addressing someone else hiding with him behind the door. Giggles came from the hall. Naruto smirked and bent down to the task of wrapping up his letter.


	3. Spring, 3

_**3**_

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama!"

"Good afternoon," the blond nodded back with a smile.

"Hello, Hokage-sama!"

"Good afternoon," he repeated, still with the sunny smile on his lips.

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!" a little girl ran around to his front and presented him with a cupped hand full of cherry blossom petals. "I want you to have them, Hokage-sama!"

He bent, clasped both of his larger hands around the girl's tiny one, and took the petals, the smile never leaving his face. "Thank you very much," he said. The girl beamed and took off the way she had come. Naruto indeed kept the petals in his hand, his smile changing from bright to gentle. Sasuke watched from the corner of his eye, hands in his pockets, silent.

* * *

He kicked his legs, his palms resting face-up on his lap, decorated with small, wilting cherry blossom petals. Sasuke stared at them thoughtfully.

"I thought you were going to eat lunch," he said after a moment.

"I can just get Konohamaru to run for Ichiraku for me back at the office," he shrugged. "I can't very well eat and hold these at the same time," he added, pointing his chin toward his open hands.

"You really intend to hold onto those?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," he smiled again. Sasuke stared at him for another minute. "I think that's your problem, Sasuke," Naruto continued.

"Problem?" Sasuke prompted, although he didn't think he had a problem.

"You don't look at the little things, but only the big ones," Naruto nodded. "You see a cherry blossom in someone's hand, but think nothing of why or how it got there. You see a child who will grow and marry to continue your name, but you don't see your son," he smiled, a bit sadly this time. "To you, Haku is the child you produced to become your heir. Hana too, but she will carry out her husband's name and not yours, so your focus is on Haku."

"That's not true," Sasuke argued, though deep down inside, he knew it was.

"Do you love your children, Sasuke?" the blond asked, staring ahead into the empty training area. "Would you give your life for them? Or would you tell yourself that you and Hinata are both young and could still have more children, were something ever to happen to them?"

Sasuke winced. He had thought exactly that several times.

"Your children respect you and love you—god knows why, because you're such a bastard—but they don't respond to you because your own feelings about them are clouded. Children sense that. They sense many things; more than you give them credit for." Naruto's sad smile returned. "Instead of asking him if he did his homework, ask him how his day went. Don't ask him if he finished it, ask if he wants to go out and play. Your son is responsible enough to know when it's time to play and when it is time to work. Hinata knows it, and doesn't push the children, and that's why they respond to her more.

"It's important to be firm with a child," he continued, "but it's also important to be open and free with them. They are seedlings which require a lot of attention: a mother's warmth to act as their sun, and a father's wisdom to act as their water, and depending on the parent, a child will flourish beautifully."

"We didn't have parents," Sasuke blurted out.

"True," the blond nodded. "But you did have them for a while, so you gained some nurturing from them. You were just left to fend for yourself earlier than usual."

"What about you?"

"I'm special," he smirked, kicking his legs again.

Sasuke gave him a bemused look. "_Dobe…_"

"I guess…" Naruto frowned thoughtfully, "I was a special kind of seed. One that needs extreme conditions to survive. That's the best way I can put it," he shrugged. "But this isn't about me, Sasuke, it's about Haku. Try talking to him. Show them that you love them. You do love them, don't you?"

"I…don't know," he looked away, shamefaced. "I'm…not sure what love truly is at all, at this point."

"There are many different degrees of love," Naruto gave his friend's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "It's confusing, and for someone who was shutting out everything they felt for a good portion of their life, it must be beyond comprehension." He smiled confidently. "But you'll learn them, eventually."

"What about you?" Sasuke gestured half-heartedly, his face still turned away.

"Me?" Naruto blinked. "Well, I love my parents for the life they gave me, even though I couldn't know them. I love the Sandaime and Iruka-sensei, and I love Kakashi-sensei and Ero-senin and even baa-chan in their own ways," he shrugged. "Every degree is different. I love Sakura like she were my own sister and you…" he looked away too.

"Me too?" Sasuke asked through numb lips. He felt more than saw Naruto's bashful nod.

"You too, even though you're the worst kind of bastard," he laughed weakly.

"You said you love Sakura like a sister," the black-haired man pushed. "What am I like to you?"

"…please don't make me answer that," the blonde's confident voice now came out weak and helpless. "I told you once before, and it's pretty clear that it's a one-way thing."

"How can it be if I don't know any better?" Sasuke asked, turning to his friend. Naruto's head lifted but he could not return the gaze he felt on his neck. "You said so yourself, I'm learning. Right?" A nod from the other man. "So then, maybe I don't know how I—"

"Don't mock me," Naruto's voice was thick with something. He was shaking. "Don't pity me, either," his blue eyes finally came around to meet the other man's stare. They were red-rimmed. "Don't even continue that thought, Uchiha. Like I already said, this isn't about me, it's about your children." Naruto stood while Sasuke stayed seated, thinking about what just transpired. "Do yourself a favor," the blond said. "Go into his room when he's sleeping tonight, and see it for yourself."

"See what for myself?" Sasuke asked but Naruto didn't answer, he just began walking quickly back toward the city proper. Sasuke debated following him, but felt he had pushed the blond a little too far back there. What was he thinking, anyway? That he could possibly love Naruto? "I just don't know anything anymore," he said to himself and stood, starting his trek home.

* * *

The dark house was silent and still. Not even the wind stirred the curtains outside. He didn't have to worry about waking Hinata because they had separate rooms. He glided silently past Hana's open doorway and peeked in at her sleeping form. She lay sprawled on her back, arms stretched to her sides and one leg dangling over the side of the bed, snoring away. Sasuke watched bemusedly for a second, then continued to the next door. He looked inside (_this room used to be my room_, he thought belatedly) at his son. Haku's little figure was curled into a fetal position beneath the coverlet, and every so often, he shifted to his other side and moaned something in his sleep. From what Sasuke could catch, it sometimes sounded like 'mother' or 'father' and sometimes it sounded like 'lonely'. Sasuke watched. And watched. And watched. And when the first rays of dawn's light stretched across the boy's bed and touched the wall, Sasuke returned to his room, feeling a little sad and oddly…full, like he had just spent the night drinking or eating something satisfying. But the fullness was not something physical he could place and it confused him. Maybe he could talk to Naruto about it…if the blond was still agreeable to talking with him after what had happened earlier that day. For some unknown reason, he was pretty sure it wouldn't be a problem.


	4. Spring, 4

_**4**_

"Yah!" _Thwack. _"Yah!" _Thwack. _"HYAH!" _CRACK!_

"Whoa!" Neji stumbled and almost got roundhouse-kicked in the head.

"Eep!" Hana tripped over her own feet and landed hard on the grass. "Sorry, Uncle Neji!" she gasped.

"Are you all right?" he held out a helping hand for her. She accepted it, tugging herself to her grass-stained feet.

"I'm okay," she nodded, brushing grass and dirt off her training clothes. "Can we do some other exercises now?"

"You never get tired, do you?" Neji asked her with a hint of a smile.

"Never," she shook her head, crouching into a fighter's stance (which was very similar to her father's). "Let's go!"

Neji nodded and slid into his customary pose. He did not, however, activate his Byakugan. "Okay," he indicated they were ready to go and Hana wasted no time in flinging her small, angular body at him, trying to overwhelm him with sharp jabs and mid-kicks.

"Hana is very fast," his son commented from beside him. Sasuke looked up from his contemplation, his eyes shining blood red. He blinked and they returned to normal. The small, dark-haired boy was watching the fight, his eyes straining. In a moment, Sasuke understood.

"You shouldn't do that," he commented. "You'll hurt yourself."

"But Mom and Uncle Neji can do it so easily," Haku frowned. "Mom says I can do anything if I put my mind to it. But…" his head lowered in dejection. Sasuke held his breath a moment, then reached over and laid a gentle hand on the boy's back.

"You'll be able to change your eyes one day," Sasuke nodded encouragingly. "I myself wasn't able to use the Sharingan until I was nearly thirteen."

"Really?" Haku looked up at his father, rising up at the encouraging words. The change happened instantaneously, right before his very eyes, and Sasuke was 

taken aback at his son's flushed cheeks and admiring stare. "How did you do it, Father?"

Sasuke looked away, back out toward the spar match; he watched as Hana ducked and darted and stumbled and recovered and fought brashly, tooth and nail. She was fast and powerful, but liked to get in too close, too overconfident, and it was usually her downfall. Just like Uzumaki Naruto, the friend he had "given his life" for. The reason he had activated the Sharingan…

"It was my very first B-rank mission," he spoke and Haku hung forward, on his father's every word, absorbing it like water. _'A father's wisdom to act like their water…'_ He went on: "I was with your uncle, Naruto, and your aunt, Sakura. The three of us were in our own three-man cell, being taught by Hatake Kakashi—"

"The only son of the Legendary White Fang!" Haku cried in surprise. Sasuke was surprised the boy was so well-informed for his age. "You learned from _that_ Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes," he nodded, "and the four of us were protecting a citizen from the country of the Wave—he was constructing a large bridge that would eventually connect their country to the Sand Country's border."

"Amazing…" his eyes sparkled. "Did you do it? Did he finish it?"

"Yes, and it still stands today." Sasuke thought briefly on the name of said bridge and grimaced slightly at life's little ironies.

"And that's when you first activated the Sharingan? That mission?"

He hesitated. "I did…to protect someone."

"Who?" the boy's eyes couldn't get any bigger. "Was it the client? Was it Aunt Sakura?"

"No," he shook his head. "Your aunt was protecting the client. Naruto and I were fighting the same man you yourself are named after."

As if wonders could never cease for him that day, Haku's eyes bulged. His small hands shot to his father's arm and clutched at him eagerly. "My name! Why were you fighting that Haku? What was he like? Is he a Wave shinobi? Are you all friends now? Was it Uncle Naruto that you were protecting?" His face was open and pure, and Sasuke felt the pang of something very unfamiliar striking chords in his head and heart. He nodded at the barrage of questions, licked his lips, and continued.

"That Haku was a shinobi of the Mist—a faction of the Wave Country—and he worked for the man who was after our client. We had to fight him," he swallowed, "because he wanted to protect his master, his friend. He fought hard for the person he cared so much for…his precious person." The boy was watching his father's profile with his breath held. The sounds of Hana and Neji's spar were drowned out in the rush of Sasuke's memories: ice mirrors rose up in his mind's eye, a shadowy figure reflected in each and every one. White needles, white as snow and sharp as fangs, peppered the air, coming from all sides, raining down from the heavens, coming up from the earth, piercing his twelve-year-old flesh, his eyes straining, burning, feeling as if they might burst or bleed at any second. The hushed whoosh of air as an invisible body hurtled past him, all the while, telling himself: _I have to see him move! Have to see it! See it! I can see!_

"He was way out of my league," he continued the story after a brief pause that felt like years. "I couldn't beat him. Your uncle Naruto couldn't _touch_ him. The guy was faster than the wind." He found to his surprise that he was smiling.

"Faster than Hana?" Haku spoke in a hushed, awed voice.

"Faster than _anyone_ I've ever met," Sasuke nodded. "And…"

* * *

_The mask turned. Needles gleamed in his clenched hand. The orange-clad figure refused to move, even though he willed it in his mind with all of his might. A scream rose up inside of him. The arm drew back. Instinctively, he began to run. Naruto would die if he didn't reach him in time._

_Naruto would die. _

"I had to activate my Sharingan to help your uncle and myself," he concluded. "So, you see, don't worry about activating it right away. If you train hard enough, eventually you can do it too." _I don't want it to appear because you're in danger…_

"But…" the boy's happiness fell away and he looked down again, releasing Sasuke's arm. "I don't have the Sharingan. I have the Byakugan."

The sounds of fighting returned. Sasuke looked up at dirty, sweaty, red-faced Hana and calm, cool, unruffled Neji. The Byakugan had been activated in the battle's intensity. He looked back to the child sitting beside him, looking so sad.

"That's okay," he heard himself say. "Hana is Hana and you are you. Each of you will train your eyes differently and will be able to do different things, but that won't change what I think of you." And he found this to be true. "You're my son, and if you were born with a Byakugan eye, then I'll just have to teach you all the tricks of the Sharingan so your own eyes can never be beaten."

Haku turned his round little face to his father's. The white eyes were welling with crystal-clear tears. "Thank you," the boy whispered through a tight throat. Sasuke felt that tugging at his heart again, and allowed it to guide him. His arm settled around his son's shoulders and he held the other boy against him. Hot wetness leaked onto his shirt. Tiny shivers nudged his side. Sasuke felt words rising in his throat, words that he couldn't decipher so he held them back, afraid of ruining it, afraid of breaking this moment, hurting Haku. Very afraid.

He held the boy tighter and didn't say anything at all.


	5. Spring, 5

_**5**_

He watched her sip her tea, a thoughtful look glazing her usually-sharp eyes. He also felt himself scowling, but there was no helping that. _He _was here too, after all. Inuzuka Kiba's feral eyes darted once to the backyard, where Uchiha Sasuke was being tackled by his daughter and both of them were being watched by his son, who sat further from both parties, keeping quietly to himself as always. _Like his mother_, the yellow eyes swiveled back around to look at her in profile, as she watched her daughter and her husband playing in their backyard, some inner emotion making her pale face soft and contemplative. Kiba's heart throbbed, and the only indication he made of his pain was the slight scrunching of his nose and a shift of his legs. The boy—Haku—glanced over from the other end of the porch, then shifted his eyes back to whatever he'd been looking at before.

Hinata blinked herself out of it and looked around at him too. "Oh, Kiba-kun, are you done with your tea?" she began reaching for his cup. He shook his head and held out one hand to settle her back down, the other gripping the ceramic tea cup as if for some sort of support.

"Hinata, when are you going to change your mind about this thing?" he grumbled. He didn't mean to sound like a little kid about the whole situation (although he knew he did) but even though the marriage had been consummated and two heirs had come out of the mixed bloodlines, it still didn't feel right. He was finally beginning to wonder if it was just him that was getting that vibe. Hinata surprised him, however, by setting her own cup down on the table between them and frowning down at it, a small crease forming in her brow.

"I can't very well leave, now can I?" she said softly, afraid her husband or the children could hear. Kiba was the one with the best hearing around anyway, so he picked up her mumble perfectly.

"I'm not asking you to abandon the kids," he shook his head. "I'm asking if you actually take this marriage seriously."

"I do," she nodded.

"He doesn't!" Kiba jerked a thumb at Sasuke's direction. Her eyes shot nervously after it, to check if he had noticed the motion. He hadn't. But Kiba knew Haku was looking again. He continued anyway: "I'm not trying to tear down your family life, Hinata, but you know he doesn't love you. And you don't love him, am I right?" She was silent. Kiba had a mini-panic attack; maybe, after spending all these years with him, she really _was_ starting to fall for the Uchiha? He didn't calm down until she spoke.

"Whether we love each other was never a factor in the marriage," she said. "Sasuke knew I did not love him and I knew he did not marry me for it. In fact, I'm quite sure Sasuke doesn't really know _how _to love. But…" she looked out again, to the father and daughter pair tumbling across the grass. Her lips flickered in the trace of a smile. "Maybe he's learning after all." Kiba was a little lost. He stared at Hinata's hands around her tea cup and waited for her to continue, to ease his mind. "I can't do anything to hurt Hana and Haku, even if that means never being truly happy. I can't bring myself to do it." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Kiba-kun."

"Yeah," he turned his face away from the entire scene, staring at the doors leading inside the house, focusing on the frame as if he could bore a hole in it with his stare alone. Anything to get his mind off of her. "I know."

* * *

_Knockknocknock!_

"Come…" he realized his voice wasn't carrying over to the door. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Come in," he called. The crack he heard in his own voice made him inwardly wince. Two short figures whizzed into the room. One leaned itself on his desk and began talking a mile a minute while the other flew _over_ his desk (or so he swore later) and clenched his waist with a vice-like grip. He had to blink and stare at the one leaning on his desk for several seconds until his brain kicked in.

"—and then after we left the zoo, Daddy took us for ice cream!" Hana babbled. "But then he told us he was going away on a mission again! Uncle Naruto, tell him he can't go!"

"Hana…" the familiar voice came from back where the door was. "I've already explained to you…"

"He can't go!" she ignored her father, instead, staring intently at Naruto's shocked face. "You can't make him go! He has to stay here, with us! Right, Haku?"

From his waist, Naruto felt a tiny head nod into the middle of his back. His lips finally twitched into an amused smile. He stood, holding onto the boy's shoulders to keep him balanced. He came around the desk and squatted, pulling both children to face him shoulder to shoulder. He took a deep breath, glanced over at their father (who wore a mixed expression of impatience and tolerance that was just priceless), and smiled at them both.

"Kids," he began. "Your father has a very important job. In fact, he's got the most important job in all of Konoha. And sometimes that job—"

"But I thought _you_ had the most important job in all of Konoha," Haku blinked his wide white eyes. "I thought the hokage was the most important ninja in the village."

"He's the most important ninja," Naruto nodded and Sasuke '_che_'ed, making the blonde's lips twitch. "But that doesn't mean it's the most important _job_; there's a difference. You've seen the game of _shougi_, right?"

They both nodded. "There's a creepy, tall, skinny guy that plays that game all the time in the front office," Hana frowned. Naruto had to fight to control his laughter at the mention of his tactician and his friend Nara Shikamaru.

"Yes, well, our city is sort of like that. The hokage is the 'king' piece and all the other pieces are the ninja below him, all the way down to the people, or the 'pawn' piece. Understand?" They both nodded. "Your father is the second-most important piece in the _shougi_ game, the 'queen' who protects the 'king' with its life." There was a shifting noise from the doorway. Naruto ignored it. "All the other pieces fight too, but the 'queen' piece is the most elite piece, the one that can move in any direction and dominate the field, all to protect the 'king' piece, understand?" Another nod from the twins. "Your father is the best ninja in all of Konoha. I have to send him out on missions, not only to protect me, but to protect you guys too. Does it make sense that way?"

"I guess it does," Haku nodded.

"Daddy, you're a queen piece?" Hana turned to her father in the doorway.

He did not look amused. "It's an example, Hana."

"Now, I'd like to ask you guys a favor," Naruto fought to keep his sides from bursting. "I have to talk to your daddy about the mission he's got to go on now, so I'd like you both to sit outside on that big couch and wait for him, is that okay with you?"

"Okay," Haku nodded.

"Can we go watch the creepy guy play _shougi_, Uncle Naruto?" Hana asked.

Again, he had to fight the laughter. And fight it hard. "If it's okay with your dad, then it's okay with me."

The two looked to their father expectantly. He sighed. "It's fine, as long as you don't bother him, agreed?"

"Agreed!" Hana chirped. "Come on, Haku! Let's go ask the creepy guy to see if he'll use the queen piece so we can see how it works." They clasped hands and rushed out. Sasuke shut the door behind them with a grunt. Naruto couldn't take it anymore: he hit the floor and began to shriek with laughter. His legs kicked in the air with his mirth. Sasuke just stood there and scowled down at the other man.

"Are you done yet?" he snapped.

"NO!" Naruto rolled onto his side and giggled in pure glee. Sasuke gave in with a resigned sigh and waited until Naruto got the laughter out of his system. Several minutes later he finally stood up, red-faced and wiping tears from his eyes. "Aha…" he gasped for breath. "Ah… Sasuke, your kids are awesome."

"I can't believe you compared me to the queen piece," he said moodily. "Now Hana'll run around saying I'm a queen. Like I need that—" He had to stop talking because Naruto was on the floor screeching with laughter again. He waited with his arms crossed until Naruto came around again.

"Heeheehee," he sucked in huge lungfuls of air and expelled them with tapering giggles. "Queen. Heehee!"

"Oh, shut up," Sasuke growled.

"Ha…heh…whoo!" Naruto finally stood and brushed himself off. "I needed that. Remind me to thank your children."

"Did you really need to talk about the mission?" Sasuke asked him irritably.

"Yeah, I do," Naruto sobered up a little. He turned to the desk, grabbed a scroll off its surface, turned back and tossed it at the other man. He caught it effortlessly, making a slight face.

"Is this another mission statement?" he frowned. "I already got one from Shikamaru…"

"Read it," Naruto prompted. Sasuke shrugged and did so.

A few minutes later, he looked up from the letter, his brow wrinkled in thought.

"What's the mission, then?" he asked Naruto.

"I need you and a team to go to the Sand and pick up Temari and Kankuro. Gaara has to stay there, obviously." He frowned deeply. "I wish I could bring him here, but, it would look bad to Cloud, and I don't want to ruin what he's built up."

"Has the Raikage made any moves to come down here?" Sasuke glanced at the letter again.

"He can't move. Their country's absolutely filled with resistances. There have already been assassination attempts. They're trying to smuggle him into the Wave Country, but they don't want anything to do with it anymore, so they've practically closed off all their borders."

"Then we may have to escort him around through Rock," Sasuke said.

"I'm not sending anyone in there," Naruto shook his head firmly. "It's a suicide mission. His ninjas can get him out of there; that's their job."

"And if they can't?" Sasuke shot back.

Naruto was silent for a moment. "I won't let anyone die," he shook his head. "I won't send anyone to their deaths. For now, we'll bring Kankuro and Temari here as dignitaries and we'll have them talk to the council about what aid we can give them. Will you do that for me?"

"Yeah," Sasuke tossed back the letter. "When do you want me to leave?"

"As soon as you possibly can. Tomorrow, if you can manage it."

"I can manage," Sasuke turned to the door.

"Sasuke…"

He turned back. "Yeah?"

Naruto opened his mouth to say something. He closed it. He frowned, he opened his mouth again to speak but nothing came out. He sighed and shook his head. "Be careful," he said.

Sasuke's lips twitched. That hadn't been what Naruto had wanted to say, but he had no time to sit here and have an argument with the blond. He simply nodded and left the office. Naruto watched him go.

"Please come back…" he whispered to the empty room.


	6. Spring, 6

_**6**_

There was a knock on his bedroom door. He looked up from his half-full pack, mentally checking off what had been done and what he still needed.

"Come in," he said. The door opened and a little white figure slid into his room. He blinked and it became his son. "Haku," he stood up, "what's the matter? Can't you sleep?" The boy shook his head. Sasuke felt torn inside; he had to finish packing for the mission, but his son standing there in his pajamas, looking so pitiful, made him want to pick up the boy and hold him until he fell asleep. That tugging—that was slowly getting more and more familiar—came at his heart and head again. He went over to the boy and placed a large hand on his feathering of soft, straight hair. "What's on your mind?"

"I heard Uncle Naruto and Iruka-sensei talking in the hall today," he said softly. "They said that the Kazekage of the Sand Country is in trouble. Is that true?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not really, no. We're just trying to be careful, that's all."

"The Kazekage, he's Uncle Naruto's friend, right?"

"Right. They became friends when they were around twelve or thirteen."

"So they've been friends for a long time, right?"

"Right."

Haku nodded, becoming quiet. Sasuke was going to tell him he had to finish packing, but he didn't have the heart. Instead, he knelt and placed both hands on the boy's thin shoulders (_He's so skinny…_ Sasuke thought). "What's bothering you about this?" he asked. "Will you tell me?"

"I just…" the boy's face scrunched up like he was going to cry, but he rubbed his fist over his eyes and shook his head firmly, composing himself. "Uncle Naruto really cares about the Kazekage, doesn't he?"

"Well, yes…" Sasuke felt that unfamiliar prick of moodiness in his brain. For some reason, whenever he thought of Naruto and Gaara together, it made him antsy.

"And he's sending you to go over and help his friend, am I right?"

"Yes, you're right." He marveled at how fast the boy could pick up certain things. _I take back what I told Naruto before,_ he mused. _This kid is way smarter than his mother _or_ me._

"He must really like you and trust you, then," Haku nodded.

"Why do you say that?" Sasuke asked him.

"Because if something were to happen and I couldn't be there for Hana, I'd only send someone I completely liked and trusted to help her in my place," Haku explained. "I know you're the best ninja in the village and I know that I'm your son and I should live up to your name and be just like you, the way Hana is. She's so good at fighting, just like you, and she has your eyes, and I'm just worried that something will happen to you…Daddy."

Sasuke's heart throbbed. He slid his arms to the boy's back and held him tight. His heart overfilled with the emotion and the words came spilling out of him before he could fully comprehend what he was saying, but he knew it was a good thing, from the way Haku clung back.

"I love you, you're such a good boy. You're such a good person; you're so kind, so sweet, so caring. I love you so much. I love you more than anything in this world, I would never leave you or your sister alone. I love you so much, so very much."

_I love you, I love you, forever, I will love you. No matter what._

* * *

"Now, on page thirty-four you'll see this diagram," Iruka pointed back over his shoulder at the blackboard. "It represents the—" The classroom door opened. Heads perked up and swiveled. Any and all distractions were welcomed during lectures. An Anbu came walking into the classroom, pack on his back and cloak wrapped tight around his shoulders. The class broke out into a buzz of hushed whispers. The Anbu reached up and removed the raven-stylized mask from his face.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," Iruka blinked and straightened up to receive the strange visitor. "What brings you here?"

"I need my children for a moment, Iruka-sensei," he spoke loudly enough for said children to hear. He could see them from the corner of his eye, sitting next to each other with identical stares of surprise. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Not at all!" the older man waved it off. "Will they be back today, or…?"

He glanced at his kids. He could see the look in Hana's eyes and hid the grin on his lips with a shake of his head. "No, I'll need them for the afternoon, please."

"Hana! Haku!" Iruka called out. The children instantly sprung up from their seats and rushed down the steps to the classroom floor. Iruka handed them two sheets each. "Homework, due Friday," he explained. "If you have any questions about it, please come see me after school or during lunch."

"Yes, sir," they chimed in unison. Hana stuffed hers quickly into her bag and ran to her father's side, while Haku opened his pack, took out a folder, placed the homework inside, put everything away, and bowed to his teacher.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," he said softly and went over to his father as well. Sasuke nodded at his former teacher and guided the children out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Hana sprang into action.

"Thanks for springing us, Daddy!" she tried to climb onto his back. He lifted her into the crook of one arm and reached down, searching for Haku's hand. Tiny fingers slid into his grip and he squeezed them gently, reassuringly.

"You still have to do your homework when you get home, even if I'm not there," he told her.

"Aww, man!" she pouted.

* * *

Sasuke led his children out of the academy and onto the streets. He put Hana down as they began to wander through the market and she ran ahead of them, looking at all the shops and exclaiming how cute everything was. Haku stayed quietly by his father's side. Eventually they found an ice cream vendor and Sasuke bought them each something: chocolate ice cream with sprinkles for his daughter, and a cherry pop for his son. They found a nearby bench and sat down beneath the shade of a large tree, which gave them a view of the park, the Hokage Tower, and the large open area just before the city gates, which were propped wide open. A trickle of people streamed in and out, lingering in that huge square, talking, laughing, and looking around. The three were silent as the children enjoyed their ice cream.

"I should be back from my mission around the start of summer," he spoke up. They stopped eating and looked up at him, one child on each side. "You should be out of the academy for the summer by then, so we can spend a little more time together. Okay?"

Hana (who had a dab of chocolate ice cream on her nose and a sprinkle on her cheek) got onto her knees on the bench so she could become eye level with her father. "You know, when we were watching the _shougi_-guy the other day, his queen piece got eaten by a knight," she said. "He said it was because the queen could do everything except what the knight could do, so it became his advantage." A slightly troubled look crossed her face. "I don't want you to get eaten, Daddy. I don't want you to go."

He opened his mouth to say something when Haku actually spoke up (who wasn't any better than his sister and had cherry stains on his hands and around his mouth). "You're wrong, Hana," he shook his head. "Daddy won't get taken like that queen piece did."

"But Uncle Naruto said he was the queen piece!" she protested.

"But remember what else he said? Every piece was like a ninja. So if the queen ever got into trouble, other pieces would come to her rescue, right?" he smiled a little bit. "I'm sure if something were to ever happen to Daddy, every ninja in the village would rush to help him."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Haku…" Sasuke tried.

"Daddy doesn't need anyone's help!" Hana slammed her small fist against her thigh (dripping chocolate spattered onto her hair, but she didn't notice or care). "He's the queen! He can do anything and he can beat anyone! He's the strongest ninja in all of Konoha and I'm gonna be just like him when I grow up!" Her eyes burned with passion. "I'm gonna be the best! I'm gonna get picked to go on every big huge important mission, just like Daddy!"

"I'm sure you will," Sasuke nodded.

"But Hana…" Haku whined.

"Don't worry, Haku!" she looked around her father to him. "When I become the best ninja ever, you'll be the next Hokage because you want to be just like Uncle Naruto, right?"

Haku glanced sideways at his father, but gave a bashful nod. "Mm-hm."

"Don't worry about it so much, Haku," Sasuke grinned down at his son. "You're much smarter than your uncle, so you'll make a much better Hokage."

"I don't think so," he shook his head.

"Don't say that, Haku!" Hana pouted.

"Uncle Naruto is amazing," the boy looked up at Hokage Tower, unmindful of his melting cherry pop dripping onto his bag. "He's smart and funny, and he knows amazing techniques, and he's…" The blush came to his cheeks and he stopped talking, opting instead to shove the pop into his mouth.

"Your uncle, Naruto…" Sasuke looked up at the tower with him. "He's…a special person."

"He's not better than you, Daddy!" Hana argued.

He chuckled, placing a hand on her back. "We're better in our own ways. But Naruto, he loves this village." His eyes travelled down to the people in the streets. "Even though they hated him, he loved them with all of his heart. He fought to protect them, and to become recognized by him. Naruto is a very special person because he doesn't let anyone bring him down. He follows his heart, he fights for what he believes in. And I think that is truly strength." He looked down at his kids. "You can be the most elite in the village, Hana," he said, "but without people like Uncle Naruto and Haku," he looked over at his son, "our village would become dark, and hate-filled. I don't want to live in a village like that, do you?" Both of them shook their heads. "I'm fighting with Uncle Naruto to protect everyone, and the beautiful place we live in." He raised his eyes once again to the tower. "I'm fighting to protect the ones I love."

"Can I fight too? I can fight!" Hana jumped.

"When you've graduated from the academy and become a real ninja, then yes. Both you and Haku," he nodded. "Because you two have to look out for each other. Hana, you have to protect your brother because he gets hurt by others very easily. And Haku, you must protect your sister because when she fights there is nothing else for her, and that can be very dangerous. Do you both understand?"

They nodded. Hana got off the bench and went over to Haku, holding out her non-chocolate covered hand to him. He took it in his not-sticky hand and they both stood before their father. "We'll be together forever," she said. "Just like Daddy and Uncle Naruto have been. We'll help each other and take care of each other and love each other forever! Right, Haku?"

"Yes," he squeezed his sister's hand. "Forever, even if we lose our arms and legs, even if we can't see, can't stand, can't talk, can't feel or touch," he squeezed until his already-pale hand went white. "Even if we die, we'll be together forever."

"Come here," Sasuke held out his arms. The children fell into his embrace, chocolate-cherry stickyness and all. He hugged them to his chest and his heart overflowed again and the words came once more but he marked them, stored them, understood them. "I love you both, and I will never let anything happen to someone I love, as long as I live. I will protect you, I will protect your mother, I will protect your aunt and uncles, I will protect your friends and everyone else who lives here because that is my job. But you two," he lowered his lips to first Hana's forehead and then Haku's, placing gentle kisses on their brows. "I will protect you both with my life, because I love you so very much and I never want anything bad to happen to you. Do you understand? I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy," Hana clutched him tightly, sounding as if she were about to cry.

"I love you too, Daddy," Haku buried his face into Sasuke's chest and the three of them sat there until the sun began to hide itself behind the tower and the overhead lamps flickered on. Then he walked them home. And he kissed each of them once before turning around and leaving again.


	7. Spring, 7

_**7**_

Naruto rubbed his tired eyes and put the pen down. He picked up the scroll, looked at it in the lamplight, frowned at the wording, and crumpled it up, tossing it into the trash. It was the fifth failed attempt at writing a message to the Raikage. Everytime he put his pen down to the paper, his emotions spilled out instead of what he _should_ have been writing, and the whole thing became a plea for the negotiations to stop transpiring. Naruto knew it was a good move on Gaara's part, working to reunite all five countries. But still so many people were set in the old ways that all these resistance factions had spawned in the south, but the majority of them were in the north, in the Cloud Country, where every citizen felt they had been wronged in the Great War and sought to hate the other four countries. It was like they just wanted to hold onto that hate, and Naruto couldn't understand why. It was almost like the way Sasuke held onto that hatred for his brother all those years before…

"Stop if it starts to hurt," a voice cut into his thoughts. Naruto blinked and looked up at the Anbu standing slouched against the closed door of his office. He knew instantly who it was.

"What are you still doing here, Sasuke?" he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

The other man came over to the desk. "I took the kids out for ice cream."

"You're going to make them fat that way," the blond sighed, then grinned. "How come you never take _me_ out for ice cream, huh?"

"Stop grinning; you look like an idiot," Sasuke scowled from behind his mask.

"To you, I always look like an idiot," Naruto yawned, covering his mouth half-heartedly with one hand. "Did you talk to them about your mission?"

"Yes," he answered. Naruto gave him a sideways glance at the short response.

"Are you pissed off at me, or something?" he asked. "You shouldn't be, 'cause I _asked_ if you wanted to do this, I didn't _tell_ you you had to—"

"We had a good talk," Sasuke cut him off in an oddly peaceful voice. Somehow, Naruto was more wary of that voice than his usual pissed off one.

"Oh?" he prompted guardedly.

"Do you trust me, Naruto?"

"What?" he blinked. "Where the hell did _that_ come from?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of _course_ I trust you!" Naruto said a little impatiently. "After all this time, I think we're a little past the questioning phase of our relationship, don't you?"

"Relationship, huh?" Sasuke said in a noncommittal tone and Naruto bit his lip. He hadn't meant to use the word 'relationship' because that word usually implied romantic love of some sort, and he knew there wasn't any of that here.

"Well, I mean, you know," he tried nervously to recover. "All those years we've worked together and hung out together and stuff," his hand waved in a clockwise motion to indicate the accumulation of such years. "It's a long time. What else would you call it, then?" he finished rather defensively.

"I told my kids I love them today," he said.

Naruto stumbled. "You…did?" He recovered, pulling his shield quickly back into place. "Did you _mean_ it, though?"

"I did," he nodded. "It _felt_ like I did. I said it a lot too." He finally pulled off his mask, his eyes unfocused and clouded. "I told them I loved them and they said they loved me too. Can you believe that?" He looked dazedly at Naruto. "My kids love me."

"I told you they did," Naruto snorted, trying to keep his defenses firmly locked in place. But the fact that Sasuke's other face was finally showing was making his knees weak and his stomach fluttery, and little flashing lights were going off in his mind but he didn't quite understand them because all the signals were coming out jumbled on the other end. "But that's good! Yeah, I mean, it's good that your kids taught you how it feels, right?" Sasuke was staring at him. "Right?" Those intense eyes were really making him uneasy. "Sasuke…?"

"We've known each other since we were kids, right Naruto?" Sasuke ignored him.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, feeling suddenly like he was about to be swept away.

"When we were little, we played together. When we got older, we went to school together."

"I'm not following you…"

"Just listen. When we got assigned to teams, we fought together, right? And when I left you came after me. You came after me for years—"

"Only because you were being stupid and not thinking about anything except getting to Itachi—"

"I said, just listen. So, you chased me. You chased me for about seven years. And I finally came back. You helped me return to Konoha, find a job, start a family, and you're still helping me now, today."

"Ye..s," Naruto felt queasy. "Sasuke, I'm not sure I understand…"

"You love me," his blank look disappeared. His dark amber eyes became as sharp as glass, piercing into Naruto, pinning him into his chair, making him immobile. "You did all those things because you love me. Maybe not at first, but eventually, right? You fell in love with me. You grew to love me. You saw the signs and acknowledged them. Am I right?"

"…" Naruto really didn't want to answer. In fact, he physically _couldn't_; that intense stare was making him helpless. His skin was crawling. He was sweating. He wished Sasuke would just stop _staring_ and—

"I know you're worried about Gaara," Sasuke jumped tracks again and Naruto was left behind, stunned. "I know you care about him, and you're afraid that something will happen that will be beyond your ability to control or do anything about. I understand that, but…" And Sasuke did something that Naruto would probably see in his dreams for weeks afterward: he leaned over across the desk and lifted a hand to the back of the blonde's head, tugging him across the tabletop to meet halfway, their foreheads joining together with and abrupt but soft jolt. Naruto's hat slid off of his hair and hit the carpeted floor with a muffled _clunk_. The black and yellow strands of hair merged and mixed together to become a starkly contrasting but beautifully simple tangle. Sasuke's forehead was cool. Naruto's entire face was hot-flushed and sweaty. He could feel Sasuke's breath on his cheek. Naruto was almost positively going to suffer from a heart attack soon if something didn't intervene and save him.

"Sasuke…" he gulped, wanting to say this, wanting to save himself because he felt like he was drowning. Sasuke's presence was _right there_ and his scent was invading Naruto's mind, making everything hazy and confusing (moreso than it already was).

"Naruto, I'll do everything in my power to make this situation right again," Sasuke swore. "I'll do everything I can to stop the factions, to get both the Kazekage and the Raikage here into this village where you can protect them both." He smiled softly and Naruto's heart _did_ stop. "You never want anyone in any pain, but the one who's in the most pain is you. You worry about everyone else, Naruto. And I'll worry about you."

And somewhere in the breathless protests that tried to come out of him, Naruto whimpered Sasuke's name. There was a sudden and brief warmth that passed between them and for an instant, Naruto's breath became Sasuke's and Sasuke's breath became Naruto's. Sasuke kissed him. Then he released Naruto and stood, fixed the raven mask back over his face, turned, and left the office. Naruto stayed that way for a few more moments, then crumpled back down across his desk and lay there, stunned, weak, and helpless.

"Sasuke, you bastard… What the hell are you _playing _at?"

* * *

The fourth figure approached in the darkness. The three waiting at the gate snapped into attention—he might have been younger than the three other Anbu, but after this mission, he was going to become their superior. Rumors had already began circulating; his natural talent and his ever-increasing drive to complete and succeed any task he was given were elevating him quickly in rank. If this Class-A escort mission went through flawlessly, Uchiha Sasuke would be promoted to First Captain of the Anbu force.

Kigeki Haiyu saluted the shorter man as he approached, "Evening, Captain."

"Oh, shut up," the Uchiha snapped, but there wasn't the usual fire in his voice.

"You alright, Sasuke?" Kigeki Chikai lifted the stylized wolf mask to study him more closely. "You sound beat."

"It's nothing," he shook his head. "Let's just get going."

"Are you sure you just don't want to wait until morning?" Mako Naori spoke up. "We don't mind, do we guys?"

"It's fine, I said," Sasuke shook his head again. "I just want to go, pick up the dignitaries, and get home."

"He'll miss his kids," Haiyu said only half-jokingly.

"I'm sure you'd miss your kids too, if you had any," Jun pulled her mask back down (even after her marriage, everyone still called her Jun) and turned toward the gates.

"Is that a hint?" Haiyu fell instantly into step beside her. His grin was audible, even through his mask.

"Nice try," Jun nudged him.

Sasuke and Naori fell in right behind the first two and they made their way out of the large wooden city gates, the quarter moon slipping behind a thin stream of clouds and pitching the night into absolute blackness. A few moments later, when the clouds blew by and light returned to the world below once more, the four Anbu were nowhere in sight.


	8. Spring, 8

_**8**_

"Kazekage," the attendant knocked on the large oak double doors of the main office. "Kazekage, the Konoha representatives are here to see you."

"Send them in," the slightly quiet, muffled voice came back through and she nodded to them, pushing the door open. The group of four stepped into the wide, spacious office, and Naori let out a little gasp as her eyes landed on the far wall, which was nothing but an opening carved out of the rock's face that overlooked the main section of the village.

"It must get pretty damn cold in here at winter," Haiyu mumbled and Jun hit him in the side with her elbow. "Ow!"

"Actually, it doesn't get all that cold in winter here," the Kazekage turned from the open window to face them. "I hope your journey was a safe one."

"It was, thank you very much, Kazekage," Naori bowed respectfully. Jun and Haiyu followed the action with nods of their heads. Sasuke remained standing. He kept his mask on too, for that matter. Behind the porcelain face, his eyes flickered and shone a bright red. He looked again at the Kazekage while someone else entered the room directly behind them.

"It's kind of crowded in here, isn't it?" a woman's throaty voice interrupted them. Temari came around to see the faces of the other four occupants. "Oh, you must be from Konoha," she said. "Welcome." Her attention went to the last Anbu, still wearing his mask. "You know," she frowned, "it's rude for someone not to show their face to the Kazekage. So, if you wouldn't mind…"

"It's okay, Temari," the red-headed man waved it off. Sasuke hesitated as he deactivated his Sharingan eye, then reached up and pulled the mask off of his face.

"Sorry, Temari," he said.

"Oh, it's you!" she rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? The chibi-hokage sent you, of course he would."

"Chibi?" Haiyu snickered. "Nice."

"We go back," Temari told him dryly then returned her attention to Sasuke. "Since I know you'll get it there, can you pass on this message to Nara for me?"

She handed him a tightly bound scroll. By the way her eyes avoided his and her cheeks flamed a slight pink, Sasuke understood there was more in that scroll than just a status report. He nodded and took it from her.

"No problem, but I thought you were coming," he said.

"I was, but it'll just be Kankuro you'll be taking with you," she shook her head. "We thought it best that one of us stay with the Kazekage, especially now that it's so dangerous."

"It makes sense," Jun nodded. "Send one, leave the rest to protect the hive."

"Exactly," Temari beamed at the other woman.

"Kankuro is downstairs," the man at the window turned back around to look outside. "I'm sorry for not seeing you down there myself, but I have a meeting to attend in a few minutes, so if you'll excuse me." He nodded over his shoulder at them and headed for the left hand side of the room. He pulled open a door and exited the office that way. The three Anbu behind Sasuke blinked their surprise.

"Is he always like that?" Haiyu asked the blond woman.

"He's just buys right now," she waved it off. "I'll take you to Kankuro. Come on." She pulled open the door. Haiyu, Jun, and Naori exited. Sasuke hung back. Temari gave him a funny look. "Come on, Uchiha, let's go." He frowned, but finally went out and Temari shut the door behind her as she left last. They were taken down three flights of stairs and guided into a meeting room with only one person sitting at the long table at the far end, with a large and oddly-shaped wrapped object on his back.

"What's that thing he's carrying?" Naori whispered curiously.

"Kankuro's a puppeteer; it's a new puppet he's devised," Temari explained. Then, she raised her voice: "Hey!" The shorter man turned around and Haiyu quickly had to stifle a laugh.

"Looks like he got attacked by your makeup bag," he whispered to Jun.

"I swear, I'm going to punch you," Jun glared back at him.

He came forward to meet them at the head of the table. Temari put a hand on his shoulder and turned to the others. "This here's Kankuro, my brother. Take care of him," her eyes settled on Sasuke's. "Okay?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded back, lifting his mask back to his face. The other three followed suit; Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan again and looked at the black-clothed man. His lips thinned into a tight line. "We'll leave now, if that's alright with you?" he addressed him. A nod was all he got in response. "Right. Jun, Naori, take to the streets. Not even _I_ want to see you. Haiyu, you take point. I'll cover the back."

"Right," the three others saluted and in two flashes, the girls were gone.

"Write me," Temari gave her brother's shoulder one last squeeze and released him.

"Yeah," her brother nodded and strode out of the room.

Haiyu gave Sasuke a look. "Are all three of them like this?"

"Come on," Sasuke shook his head. He let the dignitary and Haiyu exit first, then cast one last look back at Temari. She glared back, her intense green eyes drilling holes into his mask. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he prompted.

"No," she turned up her nose at him, starting for the door. "My brother will tell you everything as soon as you arrive back in Konoha."

"Who do you think you're going to fool with this little trick?" Sasuke asked her, sounding more angry than he'd intended. Temari stopped in the doorway but did not turn back around. She lifted her hands to the smoothed stone on either side of her and he heard her begin to breathe once more.

"Damn your eyes, Uchiha," she spoke in a slightly shaky voice. "But our intelligence is ninety-six percent sure that no one in the southern resistance factions have a bloodline limit like yours, so I'm hoping to fool everyone." She glared back at him over her shoulder. "Got a problem with my reasoning? Then go to hell because I don't care what you think of us. I'll protect Gaara with my own life. And so will Kankuro."

With that, she left him. At the same time, Haiyu's voice came over the radio collar he wore: _"Yo, Uchiha! Where'd you disappear to? Jun and Naori say the __city's clear. We're good to go. We're rendezvousing with them at the city gates in five. Copy?"_

Sasuke shook his head and broke into a quick stride through the building's halls, reaching up to his neck and flicking on the receiver. "Copy," he said back. "I had some last minute things to clear up with the blond. We're out in five."

"_She give you any trouble about us?"_ Haiyu sounded a little upset. _"If so, we'll just go back the way we came without—"_

"No, we take the guy with us," he rounded the corner and found the exit. He ducked through it, into the blazing afternoon heat, lifting an arm to shade his eyes and locate the city gates. He caught a glimpse of their haze-shimmered outline on his left and began in that direction: "The Hokage wants him, and we're going to deliver. Understood?"

"_I just hope you didn't have to hear it; I mean, aren't we doing _them_ a favor? That's just ungrateful!"_

"_I'm sure she's got her reasons to be worried, Haiyu,"_ Naori's calm voice came out onto the frequency. _"Let's not push anything. They're just worried about the Kazekage. Plus, it is her brother we're escorting after all."_

"Enough. I see the gates. Two minutes to rendezvous. Out," Sasuke clicked off his radio and broke into a jog. _I promised Naruto I'd do everything in my power to stop the situation, and that's what I'm going to do,_ he thought as he closed in on the gates. _Even if everything goes wrong and it all becomes impossible, I'm going to keep my promise. Because I don't want him to get hurt. I'll protect that _dobe_ from anything…because…_

* * *

A twig snapped by his head and he thrust a kunai out at the spot it came from. Haiyu almost fell on top of him, jumping out of the weapon's path.

"Dammit! Just kill me, why don't you?" he hissed.

The other man sat up. "Is it my turn?"

"I was coming to wake you before you tried to take out my foot…" Haiyu grunted and settled down in the empty bag next to him. "That guy's been sitting by the river's edge the whole time, just staring at the water. Are you sure he's not retarded or something?"

"He's not," Sasuke stood, brushing his pants and vest off and bending over quickly to scoop up his kunai from the dirt. "It just takes a certain kind of person to understand him," he finished, wiping the blade absentmindedly on his pant leg and putting it back into the pouch on his hip.

"Hn," Haiyu dropped down and pulled his blanket up to his shoulders, rolling his back to the dying fire circle. "The Sand's full of weirdos, I see."

Sasuke made himself busy by collecting a few more branches and stoking the glowing embers, making it flare up and coaxing it to catch while he waited for Haiyu to drop off to sleep. When the man's breathing slowed, Sasuke stood and put his hands in his pockets, making his way casually over to the river's edge. Their charge sat with his feet in the mud and his elbows against his knees, his hands laced together and propping up his chin as he gazed serenely out into the ripping mirror surface. Sasuke opted to stand for this one, since it mentally gave him the edge in any conversation. But addressing this particular man was like speaking to a statue; he took in a deep, steadying breath.

"So, what happened to the original plan, Kazekage?" he asked the black-clad man. The distant green eyes floated lazily up to him, one penciled eyebrow raised slowly, questioningly. A slight, almost teasing smile quirked up one corner of his painted mouth.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "The Kazekage's back in my village."

"Cut the crap, Gaara," Sasuke frowned. "You really think Naruto wasn't going to recognize you, even with all the damn makeup you've got covering your face?"

The green eyes studied his profile through the moonlit dark. The smile twitched again. "I'm glad to see you're still as sharp as ever," the Godaime Kazekage nodded slightly. "Although I can't approve of you deliberately trying to screw with Temari's plan. She'll get angry."

"What were you three thinking?" Sasuke fought to keep his voice level, but he was just barely managing. "Do you know how damn dangerous this is? We need an entire _squadron_ with the heat you've been accumulating!" His eyes narrowed. "These people aren't stupid."

"On the contrary, most of them are," Gaara stood, folding his arms against his chest. He looked back out over the water. "The rebel factions in my country are just looking for an excuse to get a former monster out of power. Not everyone in the Sand agrees with my being the next kage, you know."

"I can imagine," Sasuke said dryly, thinking of all the dark stares Naruto himself still sometimes got from a lot of the older citizens.

"People do not like change," Gaara explained. "So these negotiations I'm attempting are driving everyone up in arms—"

"Well, stop!" he cried (too loudly). "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"What kind of leader would I be if I were not willing to sacrifice my own life for the good of my country?" the sharp green eyes pierced him. "Naruto knows that, and that's why I'm going to him for help."

That got Sasuke's stomach twisting. "What?"

"I'm going to ask Naruto to help me continue my negotiations with Cloud, as well as start them with the Rock Country," he shrugged. "Plus, we have to do something about the way Wave Country is becoming; we can't afford to unite four countries and lose one."

That feeling knotted up his stomach, made his heart slam into his ribcage, his throat dry. Naruto was going to become officially involved in this whole fiasco—he would never refuse Gaara anything, most of all help. Naruto would be in danger.


	9. Summer Affair

_**Summer Affair**_

_**1**_

"I don't think you actually realize what kind of situation we've been put in!" an older man from the left spoke up, his tone angry.

"Indeed," a woman two seats down from him interjected. "With the Kazekage here in our village, all the resistance factions will begin filtering into our nation."

"It's only a matter of time before they declare us their enemies as well and begin attacking our own citizens!"

"The two of you have put everyone in the Fire Country in a dangerous position!"

"That will be _enough_, thank you," Uzumaki Naruto leaned forward, resting his elbows on the long polished wood desk. "I have yet to hear a word of concern for the Kazekage from any of you."

"_He's_ the one that's put us all in danger!" another man called out.

"So then, it's perfectly all right to hand the leader of the Sand Country over to a bunch of renegades who are intent on killing him?" One of Naruto's blond eyebrows arched meaningfully. "I didn't think relations between our two countries had become so strained."

"Well, with all due respect, _hokage_," another council member spat the word out distastefully, "I'm sure if the Kazekage weren't a personal friend of yours, you'd be seeing more sense."

"Counselor, are you implying that my judgment is being clouded by the fact that the Kazekage is my friend?" his tone turned harsh.

There was a bit of silence. Then, a woman closest to Naruto's right hand spoke quietly. "I'm sure that's not what the counselor meant, Hokage-sama," she avoided his eyes. "They are just worried about the good of the people."

"You," Naruto turned to face her. "You seem to still have your sense about you. What do _you_ think about this situation?"

"Well, I…" she glanced from him to the other council members in the room.

"Don't worry about what _they_ think," Naruto waved a hand dismissively, "I want to know what _you_ think. I don't believe I've ever heard you speak before today, actually, Counselor…"

"Rin. Maori Rin, sir."

"Tell me then, Rin-san," he gestured, "what do you think about the Kazekage taking refuge in Konoha?"

"Well," she took a deep breath, smoothing a hand back over her dark hair, "I don't think it's wise to become involved in another nation's problem." She hesitated. "But…as allies and neighbors, we cannot ignore his plight. He has come to us for assistance and I believe it should be given to him."

"Rin, listen to what you're saying!" a man yelled.

"Sir, one more outburst from you and I will have you removed from this meeting." Naruto shot him a dirty glare. "Is that understood?" When he got no answer, he turned back to the woman, Rin. "Please, continue."

"No, I…" she shook her head. "I just…that's all. I believe we should aid Kazekage Gaara."

"Thank you," Naruto turned back to the room. "This meeting is adjourned, but I'd like you all to stay seated for another moment. I will be back." Naruto turned to look down at the man sitting beside him. "Kazekage?" The red-haired man stood. Naruto's gaze skipped over to the purple-eyed woman. "Rin-san, will you accompany us?"

"Ah?" she blinked. "Yes, of course, Hokage-sama!" Rin rose from her chair and hurried out of the side door to avoid the daggers being glared at her. Naruto and Gaara followed after her at a slower gait.

"Seems like I've sent your entire council into an uproar, huh?" Gaara spoke offhandedly. "Sorry. It seems I still have that effect on people."

"You don't have a council, do you, Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"Too noisy," he shook his head.

"Erm, Hokage-sama?" Rin addressed him as they both approached her in the next room. "I didn't mean to sound…"

"Please relax, Rin-san," Naruto gestured to the comfortable-looking study around them. "Have a seat." She did, hesitantly. "Rin-san, can I ask you? What do you think of the council?"

"The…council?" she blinked.

"Yes, the council," Naruto reiterated. "They are not here to distract you, so if you please."

"I…" she looked like she was unsure of how to begin. "They are…they just want to…"

"Look," Naruto slid his hat back, revealing his spray of blond locks. He crouched beside Rin and shrugged his shoulders. "I want you to tell me honestly. I don't want to order you to tell me." His blue eyes sparkled.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I believe they are scared. Scared of change," she looked at him. "Scared of you, and what you are capable of doing to this country."

"What do you think I'm capable of doing to this country?" he prompted her to continue.

"I see your intentions are good and pure," she nodded. "I agree with a lot of your new policies. You're fair and competent, and are—most of all—human. You make mistakes. You ask for advice. You are emotional and optimistic; that optimism can change people. I've seen it happen before…" For a moment, Rin became lost in her own thoughts. Naruto and Gaara exchanged a puzzled glance.

"I do all that?" Naruto asked him.

"Sometimes," Gaara grinned.

Rin quickly became herself again. She shook her thoughts off physically with a small shudder and continued to speak. "I have no problems with you being hokage. Everyone else, though…" she frowned. "They want someone who won't fight them, and will bend at their will. They want someone…older, and less idealistic. They feel it's…safer."

"And my being a _jinkurichi_ has nothing to do with any of their feelings, does it?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"That is, sir, what they're most afraid of," she admitted.

"That's what I thought." Naruto let out a sigh and hoisted himself to his feet. He pulled the hat back onto his head and went over to the small door (which was hidden behind a pillar on the outside, so not many knew about this secret room; Naruto liked it that way). He knocked twice. A young shinobi soon entered.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" he saluted.

"Konohamaru, you remember Gaara don't you?" Naruto gestured back over his shoulder to the Kazekage.

"Yes, of course," Konohamaru smiled over at him. "I'd heard you arrived with the captain's group but I hadn't seen you around."

"I'm trying to keep a low profile," Gaara said dryly.

"Do me a favor, Konohamaru," Naruto said. "Go get Sasuke for me."

"No need," the younger man shook his head. "He's been waiting outside for the meeting to be over for about forty minutes now."

"Doesn't he have anything better to do?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "Send him in, would you?"

"Sure thing," Konohamaru saluted again and left. Rin watched the whole thing in a kind of stupefied surprise. Not even a minute after he left, Uchiha Sasuke entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" he saluted the other man.

"Sasuke, this is Maori Rin," Naruto introduced them. Rin jumped in surprise. "She's one of my youngest council members."

Sasuke gave a slight bow. "How do you do, Maori-san?"

"Um, thank you," she stammered. "Hello."

"Rin-san, this is Uchiha Sasuke, my Anbu Captain."

"Uchiha… Sasuke," she repeated, her eyes clouding. Sasuke noted it, but didn't pry. "How do you do?" she nodded a little stiffly.

"Sasuke, I want you to do me a favor," Naruto either didn't notice the change or ignored it. "I want you to gather every council member besides Rin-san and place them under arrest for treason."

Rin gasped. Sasuke and Gaara both blinked their surprise. "Are you…sure about that, Hokage?" Sasuke asked him.

"If I could arrest them for being stupid, I'd add that to the charge," Naruto stated grimly. "I mean it, Uchiha. They're in the main office. Get some Anbu on the double and do it now. I want every one of them thrown in jail and put on trial, and I want Rin to be promoted to the Hokage's Official Assistant."

"But… but!" Rin sputtered.

"Rin," Naruto turned to her. "I want to change these ancient, outdated laws we have. I want to build a country that is truly free and is not blinded or bound by fear. I can't change anything if every single power behind me is against it, can I? But I can't do it alone," he held out a hand to her. "Our nation is powerful, and we can become allies with the other four great countries and achieve _true_ peace. The Kazekage and the Raikage wish for it, so we're already halfway there, right? Will you help me? Please?" he begged.

Everyone held their breath. The silence in the tiny room was deafening. All eyes were on Rin, waiting to see what she would do or say.

"It won't be an easy path, Hokage," she shook her head. "A lot of the people will become apprehended at the arrest of the entire council, especially the older ones."

"I won't turn Gaara over to those idiots," he growled. "I don't care if I have to fight the whole of Konoha for him to stay, but he _is_ staying, and that whole damn council is getting arrested for wanting to hand over a nation's leader to spare their own damn comfort!"

"I'll help you," Rin nodded, grinning a bit. "Just in case you get carried away."

"Ten minutes and she already knows you," Gaara hid his own grin with one hand. "Beautiful."

"Sasuke, do it now," Naruto ignored the last comment. "And report back to me later with anything, especially what you hear from the villagers. Is that clear?"

"Sir," Sasuke saluted him and left, casting one last look over at Rin, who was eyeing him strangely.


	10. Summer, 2

_**2**_

_Shikamaru,_

_Things here have pretty much quieted down. Our soldiers have been capturing member after member of the resistances. There are probably only two major ones left that we're aware of, and two we can definitely handle. Thanks for the support and the offer to come down, but I think you're better off over there. Who else is going to be the brains behind your government, hmm?_

_I'm sure by the time you get this, it's already been exposed that leaving Gaara by himself was never an option. It's the best thing I could come up with: send my brother your way in hopes for sanctuary or some other sort of protection. I'm sure you and the chibi hokage can manage something. I mean, I ran out of options and I didn't have anywhere else to turn. I know that sounds girlish and weak, but I really couldn't think of another solution. Just let him stay there for a month or so, until we get everything completely under control here. Please?_

_I got a letter from the Raikage the other day too. It turns out that all those small resistances have joined up and become one big one. They're calling themselves the Heaven's Guard—can you believe that? Anyway, the Raikage's trying to make it into the Rock Country without much success. They already tried escape to the Water Country by boat but (get this) they closed their borders to all trade and travel from the North. It was hard enough getting him there, and now they've got to traverse across to the Rock's border. I mentioned going to you guys, but he seemed hesitant. I guess because he doesn't know your feelings toward Cloud. Maybe you could send him a message about…?_

_No, I've written enough as it is. I just hope Mr. Captain got this to you safely and this isn't being read by some retarded resistance lackey. _

_And I'm sorry if I disappointed you in my not going there. Maybe some other time. Tell my brother to write me._

_Thanks,_

_Temari_

* * *

"Why must you involve yourself in other people's problems?" Sasuke sighed.

"Why must it bother you so much?" Naruto stuck out his tongue in response.

"Naruto, I'm serious."

"And so am I."

He sighed again. "Look, I'm just saying. You arrested _fourteen_ people for treason. You made Konoha a target for rebel attacks. You put the entire nation in the middle of a political power struggle! At least feel a _little_ responsible!"

"Who says I don't?" Naruto shot back, waving a stack of papers languidly at the other man sitting on the couch opposite him and plopping them onto the tabletop. "I know what I did. The fact of the matter is, Gaara is in danger and I'm going to help him. If it bothers you that much, have Anbu start patrolling the areas around the inner border!"

Another sigh. "You put your country in the middle of political power struggles for fun, then?"

"Argh, Sasuke! You're not listening to me!" Naruto flailed.

"I understand what you're saying, _dobe_."

"Don't call me that. I'm the hokage now."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're a _dobe, dobe._"

"I hate you," Naruto shook his head in defeat.

"Do you?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, shut up, Sasuke. You know I don't."

"So, you like me then?"

It was Naruto's turn to sigh. "I'm going to _kill_ you," he dropped his head into his hands. A pause. "Man, I'm tired…"

"Leading a nation does that to you," Sasuke nodded.

"It's not _leading_ that's the problem," Naruto frowned. "I just… I'm trying to think of a solution to it all, and my brain's shot. I can't come up with anything."

"Well," Sasuke leaned back, lacing his fingers together and laying them across his belly. "Let's talk it out. How about it?"

"Okay…" Naruto kept his head in his hands.

"Alright. Gaara and the Raikage are trying to negotiate a peace treaty."

"Yes."

"The people of Cloud Country don't want peace; they're angry at the other four nations for losing the Great War."

"Idiots."

"Talk, don't think," Sasuke reprimanded.

"Sorry," Naruto grumbled.

"So a bunch of resistances have sprung up—same for the Sand Country, but not as intensely, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And all the northern resistances have pooled their might together to make one formidable resistance, according to Shikamaru."

"That's where I get stuck."

"Talk."

"Right."

"The resistances in the Sand are pretty much not a problem anymore, but Gaara's here, just in case they try anything."

"Yeah, we're pretty neutral here."

"So then, shouldn't we bring the Raikage here?"

"How? That's what I can't think of! And what about the Water Country and their border closing? What about the bridge…?"

"They're not going to close the bridge," Sasuke assured. "The Water Country's just scared. They're a knot of islands. Even with a Mitzukage, they're not a large force. They don't want to get sucked in and destroyed, like Whirlpool."

"Mom…" Naruto whispered.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing," Naruto shook his head. "Okay, so the Water Country's scared. What can we do to convince them this is the right way?"

"We can give them aid," Sasuke suggested. "Soldiers, wares, whatever they require to better themselves. You've seen the country with your own eyes. You know it can stand some improvement."

"What about…another bridge?" Naruto asked.

"Now you're just copying their original idea," Sasuke frowned.

"No, hear me out!" the blond sat up. "They've been making all the effort, right? An effort to change, to gain control of the Mist Village and its shinobi, and even an effort to reach out to us, by building that bridge! Am I right?"

"Keep going," Sasuke nodded.

"We'll send them troops, to help in their efforts in controlling the Mist Village. If the Mist doesn't like it…" he faltered.

"It shouldn't matter if they like it or not," Sasuke shook his head. "Shinobi need jobs to survive, that's true. But a village that breeds heartless killers isn't a village at all; it's a training facility. And it needs to be shut down."

"I agree," Naruto straightened again. "We'll help control the Mist. We'll send money and supplies by boat to start overall improvements. And I'll hire a contractor to build another bridge, this time, from Konoha to the Water Country," he smiled, "to show we're reaching back."

"Excellent," Sasuke sat up. "I'll lead the siege on the Mist."

"No, not you," Naruto shook his blond head. "I need you here, Sasuke."

"What for?" the black-haired man asked incredulously. "That's possibly the most dangerous mission I've ever heard—"

"Please, I just need you to stay here," Naruto said quietly.

Sasuke sat still for a moment. "Why me?" he finally asked.

"If I have to explain it again, you haven't been listening to me," Naruto shook his head. "You can send your best people in there, but I need my captain to lead the main troops. Alright?"

"…yeah," Sasuke settled back down. "I think I understand."

"Mm…" Naruto sat back as well. There was a pregnant pause.

"How many can I send?" Sasuke asked.

"As many as you feel the need to," Naruto allowed.

"What about the supplies? Someone needs to guard the ships."

"I can send chunin and jounin on the boats; don't worry about that."

"The contractor?"

"I'll send Konohamaru to get him."

"Where is he?"

"In the Water Country."

Sasuke took half a minute to compute this. "But then that defeats the purpose—"

"No, it doesn't," he shook his head. "He won't begin from there. He's going to start the bridge from here."

"You're going to bring someone _from_ the Water Country to build a bridge _to_ it?"

"He's the only one capable of doing it," Naruto nodded and picked up a pen.


	11. Summer, 3

_**3**_

They stopped their daily tasks to watch the large ships slowly docking in the harbor. There were four of them, and each had foreign shinobi standing prominently upon their prows. Tsunami stopped pulling in her little fishing net and let her hands fall to the sides of her tiny fishing boat and watched with everyone else. She was one of the first people to notice the spiraling leaf imprinted on their metal headbands.

* * *

Hyuuga Neji kept his head bowed to hide his abnormal eyes. If there was one thing he knew from his experiences working with other countries, he knew all figureheads felt intimidated by bloodline limits. On his right, his childhood teammate and probably his closest friend Rock Lee knelt, his head also bowed but for different reasons. Slightly behind and between them was the third member of their little party, the late Sandaime's grandson, Konohamaru knelt with head down. Neji had never worked with the young man before, but he knew their current Hokage employed Konohamaru directly to his office, so that had to say something for him. The last group member did not kneel or bow, but simply kept her eyes lowered respectfully and waited silently for acknowledgement from the Mitzukage. Neji knew almost nothing of her, save that she was the only member of the council Uzumaki Naruto had not imprisoned and tried for treason. There must have been another good reason behind this, but Neji was not one to pry—he simply watched.

"Shinobi of Konoha and the Fire Country, I welcome you to the Water Country," the Mitzukage finally spoke. Three heads raised; Neji's eyes remained downcast. "I received the Rokudaime Hokage's message by way of this falcon," he gestured and an attendant brought forth the striped messenger falcon that Nara Shikamaru favored for its brown-grey feathers and its abnormal speed. "I am pleased to hear that the Fire Country has taken interest in the welfare of their neighbors of the Wave." He looked at the four of them slowly, one by one, studying them. Maori Rin held her head high and allowed him to examine her. Lee was rigid with attention, fighting not to lose his balance (only Neji could pick out his twitching neck muscle and slightly shaking leg). Konohamaru tried to look dignified and impressive but merely looked meek and unsure. Neji continued to keep his head down. "I would like to be briefed on each of your missions, if that's alright with all of you."

"I am Maori Rin, honorable Mitzukage," the woman bowed respectfully. "I am the Rokudaime Hokage's official assistant, and have been sent here to oversee the efforts of these three shinobi." She gestured to the men around her. "I was also sent here on the Hokage's behalf to talk to you about organizing a peace treaty between all five shinobi nations."

The Mitzukage did not look happy at this last statement. "We've already closed our northern borders against possible enemy invasion caused by the Kazekage and the Raikage meeting here about the same thing."

"I am aware of that," Rin nodded her head. "But we do not require a meeting or final agreement of any sort at the moment. The Hokage simply wants to extend a helping hand to your country. If you are satisfied with the results of our combined missions, then you and I may discuss drawing up terms of a treaty with Fire and Sand. Is that satisfactory?"

The Mitzukage leaned back with a heavy sigh. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice?"

"Whether you agree to the terms or not, we will still be more than happy to aid you and your country," Rin explained. "That, the Hokage was insistent upon. He also says, I quote: 'If you are not ready to accept our offer to join our countries in peace, then perhaps you are still uncertain of those who wish to become your allies. Please, send word of any of your concerns, whether they be political or personal and I will reply as best and as swiftly as I can.'"

"Your leader is a strange man," the Mitzukage said.

"He only wishes what is best for his country and his people, just like you, sir."

"I see." The older man took in a deep breath. "Very well. I will think on it. In the meantime, please brief me on each of your other missions." He looked down at the three men behind Rin.

"I am Rock Lee, jounin of Konoha," the green-vested man leapt to his feet and into attention. "I have been sent with three ships of supplies and shinobi to oversee any and all improvements our ninja may give you and your country."

"I am Konohamaru, chunin of Konoha," they youngest rose to his feet and saluted and Rin stepped to her right slightly to allow him eye contact with the Mitzukage. "I have been sent to find and employ Inari, a contractor who lives in your country. The Hokage would like him to return with me to the Fire Country in order to begin construction on a second bridge that will connect our countries northern sections. He says it is in an effort to return the gesture made by your first bridge, built by Inari's grandfather, Tazuna."

Neji was hoping they'd skip the introductions. He inwardly grimaced and stood, raising his white eyes defiantly. "I am Hyuuga Neji," he said, "second-in-command of Konoha's Anbu Squad. My mission is to take my men into the country of the Bloody Mist and disband the criminal organization that hides there."

The Mitzukage blinked at the white eyes, but did not speak his mind. Instead, he simply nodded. "That is fine. Rin-san, do you and the others have places to stay?"

"We have already pre-arranged something for myself and Konohamaru," she explained, "but nothing has been worked out for the longer missions."

"I will get my men to find adequate accommodations for the Anbu and the Jounin and their companions," he said. "We'll discuss the treaty bit later, if you don't mind."

"Very well, honorable Mitzukage," Rin bowed her head.

* * *

She sighed for the seventeenth time that afternoon. Hinata watched her superior with a slight frown on her face, wondering what had depressed the usually-cheerful woman so.

"Don't worry about her," Yamanaka Ino nudged Hinata on the shoulder, making the dark-haired woman jump. "She's just worried about Lee-san."

"You mean, he was assigned to travel to the Water Country as well?" she asked.

Ino nodded. "Yeah. He's in charge of the labor group. Nothing dangerous, really, but she's still worried." The blond pointed her chin at her best friend, who was clutching a stack of papers to her chest and staring off into space, sighing her eighteenth sigh. "What about you? Neji-san got assigned to the Mist, right?" Hinata nodded. "I'd honestly be more worried about him right now," Ino admitted, "but he _is_ a Hyuuga, so he's gotta be tough, right?"

"Right," Hinata nodded again, already lost in her worry for her cousin.

* * *

Haku peeked into the room. His sister lay curled up the way he had left her an hour ago, trembling and trying her hardest not to cry. He slipped inside, shut the door quietly, and made his way over to her bed. He climbed in beside her, snuggled under the rumpled covers, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. She was still and quiet for a few moments.

"Why did Uncle Neji have to go to stupid Water Country?" she mumbled finally.

"Do you remember what Uncle Naruto said? About those _shougi_ pieces?" Haku spoke gently, quietly.

"Then shouldn't he have sent daddy?" she whimpered.

"Do you wish it was daddy who'd been sent instead of Uncle Neji?" he asked her. She shook her head and wiped her eyes furiously with the back of her clenched fist.

"No, I didn't want either of them to go," she admitted. "I don't want them to leave!"

"But they have to," he told her. "They're the strongest ninja in the village.

"Then I wish they weren't strong!" she burst out. "I wish they were the weakest shinobi in all of Konoha!"

"You don't mean that."

"I do!" she cried. "I do mean it! Then they wouldn't get sent away all the time by stupid Uncle Naruto…"

"He's only doing what he feels is right, Hana."

"Well, then he's stupid!"

"You're just upset."

"No! He's stupid!"

"Shh," Haku ran his little hands through her tangle of spiked black hair. "Let's take a nap. It'll make you feel better."

"I'm not a two year old, Haku," she choked on her words, struggling.

"Then let me sleep here with you, and you hold me," he insisted. "How's that?"

"…when you become hokage, are you going to send me on all the dangerous missions?" she sniffled.

"…I may have to," he admitted.

"Away from you?" she pressed.

"It might happen," he nodded.

"Because I'll be the strongest shinobi in the village, right?"

"Yes, you will be. And just like Uncle Naruto, I may have to send you away, even if I don't want to."

"…he's not stupid. I didn't mean it."

"I know."

"Haku? Promise me, you'll only send me away as a last resort. I want to be here to protet you, always."

"Alright, Hana. I promised you we'd be together forever anyway, didn't I?"

"I know that," she began to cry.

Haku held his dear sister tightly to him. "I promise," he whispered as her tears ran down her little round, red face. "And I'll never let anything happen to you. Ever."


	12. Summer, 4

_**4**_

Sasuke stood in front of the office door and debated. Naruto had locked himself away since three in the afternoon, and the only one that had come in or out of the office since that time had been the Kazekage. Now, the red-head came out again, looking weary but otherwise the same as always.

"You're still here, Uchiha?" he asked the Anbu captain. He got a particularly nasty snarl in response.

"I'm not waiting here for _you_," he said archly.

"I'm sure you're not," Gaara said with a little grin. "He's finishing up some official documents from the arrests that happened the other day. You should walk him home, Uchiha."

"Since when have you been an official on relationships?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"So, you admit that it is a relationship that you have with Naruto," Gaara pounced and Sasuke blanched.

"Of _course_ it's a relationship!" he finally got his mouth to retort. "That's what people _have _with one another: relationships!"

"Sure," Gaara strode past him. "If you ever decide to leave your denial behind you, Naruto's waiting."

"What?" Sasuke turned to watch him go but the Kazekage was already out in the hallway, making his way toward his guest quarters. Sasuke growled low in his throat and snapped on his radio collar. "I need three Anbu in the Hokage tower stat."

Three identical flashes landed nearby not even two minutes after his summons. They stood and saluted him. "You called, sir?" one prompted.

"Replace the three Anbu standing watch over the Kazekage's quarters. You'll be relieved in the morning," Sasuke ordered.

"Sir!" the three saluted and they were gone as quickly as they had come. Sasuke let out a tired sigh as he flipped off the transmitter and turned back to the large double doors leading to the Hokage's office. He knocked on the embossed oak.

"Hokage-sama?" he called through it. There was no response. He knocked again. "Hokage?" He waited and still nothing. Frowning, he turned the brass knob and pushed the door inward, revealing an orange lamp-lit room and a white-robed figure hunched over a desk piled high with papers. His hat was drawn low over his eyes and a pen was clutched tightly in one unmoving hand. Sasuke frowned again and walked closer to the figure behind the desk. "Naruto?" he called, softer than before. The hand holding the pen twitched and it rolled out of his fingers and across one of the papers in front of him. A small moan came out of him. Sasuke leapt up and darted around the desk and grabbed one shoulder and shook. "Naruto!"

"Nnh… uh? Sasuke…?" the blonde's voice, thick with sleep, murmured from beneath his hat and a tangle of disheveled hair. The dark-haired Anbu let a rush or worried breath out of him.

"Dammit, _usuratonkachi_! You scared the shit out of me!" he whispered fiercely. "I thought you'd been… That someone had…"

"Sasuke… did I…worry you?" Naruto smiled thinly. "I'm sorry…"

Sasuke took in the red, weary eyes, the dark circles underneath them, the slumped shoulders, the shaking hands and twitching mouth. His lips tightened. "Stop it," he demanded. "Stop it right now."

"Stop what…?" Naruto blinked blearily.

"Stop killing yourself!" Sasuke snapped and reached down, scooping a dazed Naruto into his arms.

"Wha—? Sasuke…!" he gasped, struggling feebly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Taking you home," Sasuke stated and turned, walking out of the office.

"Sasuke, put me down!" the blond struggled a little more. Sasuke ignored him and made his way down to the street entrance of the tower. He passed Nara Shikamaru on the way out and gave a brisk nod at the tactician, who had a brown and grey striped falcon perched on one arm.

"Nara, lock up the tower. The Hokage will be back tomorrow afternoon," he said.

Shikamaru wisely didn't argue the statement, but did raise a questioning eyebrow at the Anbu carrying the Hokage bridal-style. "Sure thing," he said and watched Sasuke take Naruto away.

"Sasukeeeeeee!" Naruto was almost fully awake and fighting him. "I can walk, you know!"

"Shut up, _dobe_," he ignored the flailing arms, dodging the fists and ducking the blows.

"I have _work_ to do!" he cried. "Aren't you the one who told me I had to _work_?"

"If you don't shut up, I'll shut you up," Sasuke turned another street corner and made his way down toward Naruto's apartment complex.

"I will _not_ shut up!" he fumed. "Put me back in my office! I still have all these papers I have to—WAH!"

Sasuke abruptly stopped, dropped Naruto to his own feet, pinned him up against the nearby building wall and planted his mouth on the other man's. The fight went out of Naruto for exactly three seconds, and then the fists flew full force. Sasuke had to take a step away in order to dodge them all.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Naruto roared, his cheeks scarlet.

"I told you I'd shut you up," Sasuke shrugged.

"THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO DO A THING LIKE THAT!"

"You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood."

"I DON'T GIVE A GOOD GOD DAMN—!"

He was pinned against the building again. Sasuke pushed his tongue quickly between Naruto's open lips and into his mouth, licking firmly. Naruto's knees gave and his hands shot out and grabbed a fistful of Sasuke's green vest to keep himself upright. Sasuke's hands reached up and grabbed either side of the blonde's scarred face and held their mouths together, his tongue lapping at Naruto's. He increased the intensity, lapping deeper and faster, sucking up the hot sweetness of the blonde's taste. Something deep inside of him roared to life, reaching up and latching onto that sweet warmth, making a strange and beautiful connection between them. Naruto desperately tried to pull away but Sasuke held him there, kept him there, forced the connection to become brighter, stronger, fusing those something's together. He finally withdrew his tongue and pulled away but that bright connection stayed between them and ran throughout both of their bodies, stunning Naruto to silence and opening Sasuke's eyes wide in realization.

"Sa…Sasuke…" Naruto panted. His blue eyes were glazed, his chest heaving and his hands shaking visibly.

"I told you I'd…" Sasuke tried to take in calming breaths but it wasn't working. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears, drowning everything else out except those intense blue eyes that were staring up at him, and he was beginning to drown in them. He struggled, fought it for a few moments, and then let it go. He wrapped his arms tightly around Naruto's shoulders and yanked the other man close, tucking his head against the curve of his neck and beginning to shake.

"Sasuke, I don't—" Naruto tried desperately.

"I love you, Naruto," Sasuke said in a rush. "I love you. I've always loved you and I realize that now. I always thought I was condemned to a fate of darkness, blood, and death but you set me free. Your light poured into my life and burned all those shadows away. I owe my existence to you and I love you for it; I'll love you forever. I always have and now I always will."

"Am I dreaming?" Naruto said with a weak half-laugh. "Are you really saying those things and meaning them? Do you even _know _what it is you're saying?"

"I know," Sasuke insisted. "And I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long, but I couldn't understand my feelings before. I do now though."

"But…" Naruto struggled helplessly in Sasuke's embrace. "What about the kids? And Hinata…?"

"My children will always be my children," Sasuke pulled away and looked down into Naruto's eyes. "And Hinata… She knows I never loved her. But after all this time, I do respect her." He smiled. "I'll talk to her, and I'll make her understand how I feel. Maybe she'll even be happy for me."

"This…is all so weird!" Naruto half-laughed again. "What about the rumors that'll spread? Hana and Haku will find out and they'll start asking you questions. And what if Hinata _doesn't_ understand? Sasuke—"

"Don't worry, Naruto," the dark-haired man lowered his head and hugged his friend and his new lover close. "I'll make it work. And I don't care what anyone has to say about us; I'll be with you, no matter what happens."

"This _is _a dream!" Naruto laughed, abrupt tears coming into his eyes. "You, of all people, don't _say_ things like this!"

Sasuke lowered his lips to Naruto's, breathing in his scent, taking in the features he had taken for granted for so long. "I'm saying it, so get used to it." They kissed again.

Naruto's lips pulled away from his: "But Sasuke…"

"If you're not comfortable with this, then you shouldn't have told me that you loved me," Sasuke's head darted forward and the kiss continued. After another few weak struggles, Naruto gave in and closed his eyes, letting Sasuke overtake him.

_I…want this,_ he thought. _I've wanted him to do this for a long, long time… So then, why am I so apprehensive about it all of a sudden? Is it too soon? Too fast? What's wrong with me…?_

They parted again. Sasuke looked down at him, a frown marring his angular face. "W-what?" Naruto paled.

"Stop being an idiot and thinking stupid thoughts," Sasuke declared as if he'd been reading the blonde's mind the whole time. "I do as I please, and I'll love whomever I want to. Is there a problem with that?"

The blond hokage blinked away his tears and stared up into the face of the man he'd loved for years. He waited to see if the feeling had finally ebbed; if the waiting had eaten away some of his emotions. The rush of emotions welling up inside him nearly choked him with their intensity. He smiled and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's back, leaning his face against the broad, vested chest.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"_Dobe_," Sasuke rolled his eyes and led Naruto away from the building and toward home. "You'd better be able to take responsibility for your feelings."

"I know that," Naruto nodded. "And I will."

"Good," Sasuke said simply, and the rest of the walk was in silence. The only difference being their hands brushing shyly, slipping together in the darkness, their fingers intertwining and locking together tightly, like a solemn vow to never let go again.


	13. Summer, 5

_**5**_

He kicked off his shoes and locked the screen behind him, shrugging off his vest and making his way toward his bedroom. A light from the living room drew his attention and he changed course, tugging his shirt up over his head as he did so. _One of the kids must have forgotten to turn it off,_ he thought and was quite surprised to see Hinata—clad in her pajamas—sitting up on the couch, drinking tea and staring out of the large window that looked out into the backyard. A three-fourths moon was shining through, illuminating her pale and round face from one side while the lamplight bathed her from the other, so the only shadows on her were beneath her distant white eyes. In those few statled seconds that passed between his entrance, Sasuke (for the first time in their entire marriage) saw her as beautiful. Her eyes turned from the moon to his and their stares locked. She was different. Bolder. He recognized that and was surprised again. He wasn't sure how to proceed in this strange new territory.

She helped him: "Welcome home, Sasuke."

"Thank you," he responded instantly, like a programmed puppet. He winced.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked him.

He paused. "Please," he finally said.

"I'll get you some, so please sit down and get comfortable," she rose and slipped past him and into the hall. He heard her feet ghosting softly across the hardwood. Somehow, Sasuke felt as if her parting sentence had had a double meaning. He dropped heavily onto the armchair across from the couch, as if someone had pulled a pin out from his knees and his legs had collapsed. He waited, struck dumb by this seemingly random night. Not only had he tumbled and tripped through a varied range of emotions within the last hour with Naruto, but now his wife wasn't acting like herself and seemed to be leading him by the ear somewhere. It confused him more than angered him, and Uchiha Sasuke suddenly felt tired.

Hinata returned with two steaming mugs, placing one on the side table beside the armchair for him with a short "it's hot" as his only warning and making her way back to the couch bathed in lamp and moonlight. Her new, direct stare locked him down and he gulped, reaching automatically for his cup and then remembering her words and snatching his hand away. He clenched both of them in his lap and waited, like a child waited for a parent to scold them.

"Has there been any word from my cousin?" she asked just as he felt he were about to crack under the heavy silence between them.

"A general status report was received this afternoon from Ambassador Rin," he replied, happy that he knew this information and confused at his feelings all at once. It was like he was being tourtured but for no apparent reason. "His team has already moved into the Mist Village, but that's all I've heard."

"Do you think he'll contact the hokage with a more detailed report soon?" the question came out like a shot as soon as he was done with the answer.

He blinked. "It's a general rule within the Anbu to inform either the captain or the hokage on a mission's status every three days, so I'm sure we'll be getting something soon."

"I see." She leaned back agaist the couch and drank from her cup. Sasuke followed her example and grabbed his tea, and it _was_ hot—he winced and did not drink, but he didn't put the mug down either. "Sasuke," she spoke again, "I have to… I've been meaning to talk to you. Without the children around."

Dread filled his stomach. What could it possibly be that she didn't want to discuss it in front of the _kids_? "You could have told me that, instead of waiting up until four a.m. for me to get home," is what he ended up saying and realized he sounded like an asshole. He winced again.

A thin smile jerked at the corner of her mouth and her eyes narrowed ever-so slightly. "I realize that, but I didn't know how to approach you. I finally decided that confronting you about it directly would be the best approach."

"I suppose," he nodded, realized that he _still_ came off sounding like an asshole, and mentally made a note to check his responses before he said them. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"About us," she said and sipped her tea again.

He drew a blank. "About…us?" he repeated.

"Yes, us," she put the cup down and folded her hands in her lap. "This marriage."

He suddenly felt guilty. Naruto's face flashed into his mind but he temporarily shoved it aside. He debated about his answer. Finally, he did say: "Actually, I wanted to tell you something as well."

"I'd like to speak first," she said, raising an eyebrow. "That is, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," he answered, noting her slight impatience with him. _I wonder what I did to get her so upset, _he thought to himself.

"Sasuke, we've been married for almost nine years now," she stated.

"I know that, Hinata," he nodded.

"We have two chidren."

"I know that too."

"You're being an asshole," she glared at him. He blinked in shock.

"I…" he tried. Her white eyes bored into his. And at that moment, he realized that this bluntness was costing her a lot; her hands were shaking and little droplets of sweat beaded her creased brow. He took a deep breath and unclenched his own hands, leaning back in the armchair. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you. Con—" _You'll sound like an asshole! Reword it!_ "You can keep going, if you want to."

His mood change affected her as well. She relaxed, and the anger faded from her eyes. "I didn't want to discuss this around the children because they might have overheard and gotten the wrong idea, and I don't want this to upset them—they're already upset enough."

"About their uncle, right?" he asked.

"You realize that?" she looked surprised.

"I did," he nodded. "I know Hana aspires to be like him, and it's only natural she'd be upset about the type of mission he'd been assigned to. Haku, well, he favors Naruto more, but he's very aware of his sister's feelings."

She paused. "I didn't think you observed that much," she admitted.

"I wouldn't have, if I were the old me," he agreed. "But I think I've changed a little."

"You've changed a lot," she agreed.

"But I'm pretty sure you were prepared to face off against the old me—the asshole," he elaborated and she blushed.

"I didn't mean—" she tried.

"No, you did mean it," he shook his head, "and that's fine because it's only the truth. But Hinata," he leaned forward to accentuate his point, "even though we never truly became close—like a married couple should have—I think we've progressed enough from politeness and avoidance, don't you think?" She nodded. "And I _have_ changed, so, there's no need to worry about me attacking you if I don't agree with what you're saying. Is that what you were worried about?"

"A little," she confessed. "I just… I don't know where to begin with it all—"

"Start with what you were originally going to say," he leaned back again. "And I'll listen, I promise."

"Okay," she nodded, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Sasuke, I…" He waited. She began to avoid his eyes; she was her normal self again. "This marriage…"

"Hinata, you don't love me, am I right?" he asked. She nodded again. "Do you regret marrying me? Or rather, me making you marry into my bloodline?"

She hesitated. "That's…not the way I would describe how I feel," she said. "I married you because my family wanted me to marry you, and even if I had refused, I believe they would have set me up with someone else I didn't want to be with."

"So, you just chose to go along with it," he finished for her.

"I'm sorry," she lowered her head.

"Please, don't be," he beckoned her to lift her eyes. "We're in the same boat, almost. Nine years ago, I didn't know what love was. I only wanted to pass on my bloodline, to make heirs to my name, and have an obedient wife that would provide those heirs."

"Asshole," she said again, but this time she smiled. He returned it.

"I was," he admitted. "And for a long time afterward, I continued to be that way."

"I think the children changed you," she stated.

"They did," he agreed. "They influenced my change the most, yes. But the person who originally challeneged me to change…was Naruto."

"Mm," she smiled again. "I think I know where this may be going."

"How so?" he raised an eyebrow.

She picked up her tea cup and took a long drink, thinking to herself. He copied her example, and waited for her to break their silence (which was now comfortable and laid back) first. She did. "Sasuke, I see things. Many things people overlook. Maybe it's a curse of this Byakugan of mine," she smiled wistfully, and Sasuke had another brief glimpse of her true beauty. His heart—for the first time—went out to her. He genuinely wanted to become her friend and her partner. "I saw Naruto when no one else saw him, and my eyes followed him throughout the years—seeing his belief and his determination and his strength and his will…they all made _me_ want to become a better person. I can only imagine," she smiled at him, "how his own teammates must have felt about him.

"When you left the village, he changed," she continued. "Like a man possessed, he hunted for you, day in and day out. I tried to help him as much as I could, but I didn't quite understand _why_ he was looking for you. I always knew you as distant and cold, the exact opposite to his bright warmth. For years, it confused me. Even after he returned from training with Jiraiya-sama, had Tsunande-sama hand-pick a team for him and went off searching for you _again_, and almost quite a few times into the jaws of death…" Her smile went to her memories this time. Sasuke remained silent. "Through everything, he remained steadfast in his will to find you," she explained. "Watching him fight his way forward, reaching for you even though you were just there, out of his grasp, I realized it then. That Naruto had found 'the one'. The one he loved above all others. The only one he'd give his life and his dreams for."

There was a long pause. They both drank from their cups. Sasuke rubbed his head and sighed, leaning forward again. "So then," he said, "I don't really have to tell you what I wanted to say, do I?"

"Does it have to do with Naruto?" she laughed and he nodded, hating the small heat that rose into his cheeks. "Then, no. I can guess." She smiled. "I'm happy for you, and especially for him."

"You are, really?" he asked.

She looked down into her tea cup. "Yes."

"What about your feelings?" he gestured toward her. "The way you were talking about him just now, it sounds like you're in love with him."

"I…" she hesitated. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I liked him very much, and I changed myself many times because of him."

"So then—"

"He's not 'the one' for me, though," she said.

"Have you found that person?" he asked her. "Is that what you've been trying to tell me?"

After a slight rush of crimson to her face, she nodded. "I feel that I have, yes."

"It's Kiba, isn't it?" he guessed.

"How did you know?" she looked up at him.

"I see things too, Hinata," he shrugged. "Now, more than before because now I pay attention to them. I see the way he looks at you and the way he looks at me. He's loved you for a while now, hasn't he?"

"Mm-hmm," she blushed harder.

"And you're returning his feelings, but you don't want to be a bad wife or a bad mother, so you're keeping it closed up inside of you."

She blinked. "Sasuke…"

"Don't keep it inside of you," he frowned. "I did. It's painful, isn't it, Hinata?"

"Yeah…" she sighed, the glimmer of a tear forming at the corner of one white eye. He got up and walked across the living room, sitting down beside her and placing an arm around her tensed shoulders.

"No matter what happens between us," he said softly, "I will never, ever, drag the chidren into it. I love them too much to hurt them with this."

"Me too," she choked out. "I don't want to divorce, only because it'll tear them apart!"

"We don't have to," he shook his head. "We're married to each other but we love different people. Our children have to come first in this though, no matter what."

"I feel exactly the same way," she nodded against his shoulder.

He hugged her. He said: "We may not be together as a normal man and wife should be, but we _are_ in this together. I'm not going to let you drown, or get swept away, Hinata. I forced you to marry me against your will, and now I'm responsible for you."

"Sasuke…" she whispered.

"We'll make it through this," he grinned down at her. "We _all_ will. I promise you that."

After a brief moment, Hinata's small arms circled around his waist and squeezed tightly. "Thank you…" she mumbled against him. "Thank you, Sasuke."


	14. Summer, 6

**_NOTES: _**I've noticed I haven't written many of these since the beginning of this story, so I've got some thoughts on what's been going on so far:

-Sasuke is definately NOT turning out like I expected. He's very...understanding, which is not how Sasuke is at all, as _Naruto_ fans know. However, I do _like_ how he's turning out, and I did warn he'd be OOC... I just didn't realize it'd be so much. Sorry, die-hard Sasuke fans.

-Naruto is also not himself, as Gaara addresses in the next chapter. For that, I'm definately sorry. I adore who Naruto is, and changing that is a borderline sin. So, I'll work really hard to get him back to his usual self during the Fall and Winter seasons.

-I love the children, but I haven't been focusing on their talents at all. I think I'll be doing that in detail for the Fall segment. If anyone has any complaints about this, let me know.

-This story's become very political, I've noticed... Sorry, that wasn't my intention. But I like fleshing up a story, instead of filling it up with meaningless sex (which I have a tendancy to do after a while..) So, there's politics, and a Chuunin Exam coming, but other than that, let the SasuNaru lovin' commence!

-I haven't touched at all on how Hinata fell for Kiba, and that kind of upsets me because I really love Hinata as a character and wish I could develop her more. Maybe I'll break the eight-chapter pattern, or maybe have a bonus chapter in the end or something. So, look forward to a little KibaHina tidbit soon.

-Thank you, everyone, so much for reading this story and its partner **_Different Seasons_**. Your veiws and comments are what keep me writing. Seriously! Otherwise, I'd be playing _Persona3_ all day long instead of struggling with Naruto and Sasuke difficulties. So, for your positive and negative comments, your complaints, your wishes, and your expectations, I thank you.

* * *

_**6**_

"I'm telling you, having Sound participate in the Chuunin Exams is a bad call," Sasuke frowned over at the blond as they made their way together down the hall. People nodded their acknowledgement to the Anbu captain and the Hokage as the pair passed, and one or two whispers followed after them but were ignored in favor of the current situation.

"Having them _not_ participate would be even worse, especially now with all this tension going around, am I right?" Naruto turned the corner and waved to Gaara, who waited for them with his arms crossed and two Anbu guards flanking him on either side. Sasuke motioned to the two and they immediately pulled back as Gaara fell into step beside them and they continued on toward the meeting room.

"Do you think we should trust Sound, Gaara?" Naruto looked over at his friend.

The red-head made a sour-looking face. "Personally, I wouldn't bother with them. But this is you, Naruto, and you're different from me." They reached the double doors and stopped to finish the conversation. "You have more compassion, and that's not at all a bad thing."

"It could get him killed, if he's not careful," Sasuke warned.

"Isn't it your job to make sure that doesn't happen, Uchiha?" Gaara shot back effortlessly. Sasuke's face turned dark red. He opened his mouth.

"Why don't we just see how the meeting turns out?" Naruto interrupted hurriedly. "If negotiations go sour, we'll deny entrance to our country. If not, we'll let them participate this year and see how it goes."

"A very diplomatic answer," Gaara nodded and pushed open the double doors. The people around the oblong table stood from their chairs to welcome the two kages. Sasuke made sure his mask was strapped tightly over his face, and his katana was unlatched and ready at his hip. One hand settled on the wrapped handle casually, deceptively. _I won't let it happen_, he swore as he followed the two leaders into the room. _No one will take him away from me now. No one._

* * *

"Hokage-sama, it's Nara," the voice accompanied the hurried knock.

"What the hell's got his tail in a twist?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the office door.

"Come in, Shikamaru," Naruto called and the tall, lanky ninja did slip inside, holding a scroll.

"Sir," he saluted the Hokage.

"Oh, come off it, Shikamaru," Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Since when are you so formal?"

"Since we received this from Senator Rin," he said and tossed the scroll to the blond. Naruto caught it, a worried look flickering across his face.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

"She's fine," Shikamaru nodded. "But the negotiations went bad. The Mitzukage denied the treaty offer and has now claimed Isolationalism."

"What about the others?" Naruto's eyes skimmed over the letter.

"Neji's forces will be pulling out within the next few days," the tactician summarized. "They got in pretty deep, but haven't uprooted the entire organization, so it's going to take them some days in order to cover their tracks."

"Any chance of it coming back to bite us in the ass?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru.

"Not if they're careful," Nara shook his head. "No casualties and no prisoners, so they can't investigate into us that way."

"It says he wants Inari back in the Water Country," Naruto lifted an eyebrow.

"He doesn't want anything to do with us, helpful or otherwise," the jounin shook his head. "He's even turning away Lee's support team."

"What? Is he stupid or something?" Sasuke frowned.

"Get's worse," Shikamaru said. "He wants the original bridge to either be dismantled or destroyed."

"Why!" Naruto jumped up out of his chair.

"Because he doesn't want the Water Country to be involved in _anything_. Good, bad, neutral, _nothing_."

"That…doesn't make any sense," Naruto plopped back down into his chair, looking defeated. His eyes unfocused and became blank, as if he wasn't there in the room any more. Sasuke watched this for a moment, then turned to the other man.

"There's no point in dragging it on this way," he sighed. "If the Mitzukage doesn't want our help, we can't force it down his throat. Is Rin coming home?"

"She'll be back the day after tomorrow," Shikamaru answered.

"Send a message to Inari: tell him to come to the Hokage's office as soon as he can," Sasuke rose and began to pace, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Send another to Lee and tell him to pull out and come home. Neji already knows withdraw procedures, so don't worry about him." Sasuke waved it off, still pacing. "You, Nara, I want you to write a response to the Mitzukage."

"Me?" the taller man frowned a bit. "No way. Too troublesome."

Sasuke ignored his comment: "Tell him that we'll withdraw all of our forces, just like he ordered. But," he stopped and lifted his eyes—which had at some point changed into the Sharingan—"we will _not _destroy that bridge. The Great Naruto Bridge is a symbol of the lives of several very important people who have left this world, and Konoha will not stand to see it dismantled. The Water Country may lock us from its borders, but to attack the bridge is to attack _us_," Sasuke glared. "Emphasize that. Any questions?"

"No… No, sir," Shikamaru looked from the dazed Naruto to the commanding Sasuke, then turned and left the room to carry out his tasks. Sasuke waited until the door was closed and then strode over to the blond sitting limply behind his desk. He gripped the other man's shoulders and shook roughly.

"Hey!" he said (louder than he'd intended). "Snap out of it!"

"The bridge…" he whispered, unheeding. "Haku… Zabuza… Tazuna… Inari…"

"We _won't _let it happen!" Sasuke shook again. "Snap out of it, Naruto!"

"Sasuke…" Naruto looked up, dazed and far away. "You died there, too…"

The raven-haired man stopped shaking his companion and instead, wrapped his arms tightly around his lax shoulders and held on tightly. "No, Naruto," he said strongly. "I'm here. _We're_ here. Destroying a bridge doesn't take away the memories that were built with it. Do you understand? I'm alive, and Haku lives on in my son. Zabuza is a legend in his country that will never die, and Tazuna is kept alive by Inari. Don't you see that?"

He pulled away, looking into those far off blue eyes. Naruto slowly returned to this reality, from seeing the ghosts of the past. He blinked his eyes back into focus, shook his head sharply to clear it, and lowered his forhead with a gentle _thunk_ onto Sasuke's. "Yeah," he nodded. "You're right, Sasuke." He let out a shuddering sigh. "Sorry about that." There was an abrupt knock on the door. Sasuke and Naruto quickly pulled away from each other, Sasuke looking at the door in slight annoyance and Naruto slapping his face with both hands to clear up any lasting emotions. He cleared his throat. "Come in," he called.

The door opened and tall, lanky Inari entered. "You summoned me, Hokage-sama?" he took off his white and black striped hat and bowed his head.

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who nodded slightly, and sighed, pushing his own hat back off his blond head and leaning his elbows on the desk in front of him. "Inari, there's a problem."

"Is there something wrong with the bridge preparations?" the younger man looked suddenly worried.

"No, no," Naruto shook his head, holding up his hands in a 'calm down' gesture. "It has nothing to do with your work. In fact, I'm very excited about it, but…" he shot another look at Sasuke and again the dark-haired Anbu gave a discreet nod. "You see, Inari, we received a message from the Mitzukage a little while ago. He says…that he doesn't want us building this bridge after all."

"He doesn't want us to build this new bridge?" Inari repeated, looking confused.

"Yes," Naruto took a deep breath. "And…he wants us to destroy the old one; the one your grandfather built."

The young man's normally pale face whitened considerably. "Why would the Mitzukage…?"

"He's declaring Isonationalism," Sasuke explained. "He's calling for all of our forces to be taken out of the Water Country. Also," the Anbu raised an eyebrow in emphasis, "he's calling all of his own people back into the country."

"Iso…nationalism?" Inari swallowed. "Then…the borders?"

"They'll probably extend the closure to all of their borders," Naruto shook his head. "No one would be able to get in or out."

"All because he's scared of a little threat," Sasuke turned up his nose.

"He wants to protect his country. I do not begrudge him that," Naruto waved it off. "But Inari, I wanted to let you know to stop construction on the bridge and to return home to Tsunami." The blond smiled sadly. "She'll need you with her."

"You mean, for when they tear down my grandfather's bridge?" he said coldly and Naruto flinched at the emptiness in his voice.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said. "But I'll try not to let that happen. However, I can't force the Country of the Wave to bend to my will on this; that will lead us to war almost instantly." Naruto's brow creased—his hands were tied, and he didn't like that at all, especially for something like this. "I'm sorry, Inari. I'll have Konohamaru escort you out tomorrow morning, if you'd—"

"So, that's it then?" Inari said in that same toneless, emotionless voice. "You're just giving up, nii-san?"

Naruto winced. "It's not that simple, Inari," he said softly. "I'm not just a weak little genin who can get away with voicing my opinion all the time. I'm hokage now."

"What good is that position if you can't even protect a bridge?" Inari cried, tears welling up into his eyes. He sniffled, wiped an arm across his face furiously, and stood before Naruto and Sasuke, fists clenched. Naruto sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes to think. Sasuke, however, spoke up in the silence.

"I've already sent a response to the Mitzukage about this," he said. "I told him that we would pull out our troops and stop trade with the Country of the Wave, but if he were to try and attack the bridge, it would be like attacking us and we would retaliate."

"You said that to the _Mitzukage_?" Inari blinked at the taller man.

Naruto shared a similar expression. "When did you do this?"

"When you were lost in thought over all of the news you'd received," Sasuke shrugged. "I hope that's alright with you, Hokage?"

"Uh…yeah," Naruto nodded, stunned.

"All right, Sasuke-san!" Inari beamed, tears still hanging in the corners of his eyes.

"As for you, Inari," Sasuke's lips twitched in a slight grin, "you should go on home and be with your mother, regardless of what ends up happening."

"No," he said, wiping the final reminants of his outburst from his eyes. "I want to request permission to stay in the Fire Country. And I want to bring my mother too."

"Why, Inari?" Naruto asked him. "I thought you were mad at me two seconds ago."

"I shouldn't have over-reacted," he admitted with a slight blush. "I know you try your hardest to make everyone happy, nii-san. Why else would you have hired me to build this new bridge?" He shook his head. "I don't agree with what the Mitzukage's doing. Ignoring what's happening won't make it go away, and someday, that ignorance might be our downfall."

"The baby's talking like a grown man," Sasuke grinned teasingly.

Naruto contemplated for a minute, then shook his head. "I can't let you do that, Inari."

"Why not?" the younger man pouted.

"Because it's the same as running away from the problem," Naruto explained firmly. "If you leave, no one will be there to petition for the bridge on that end, and that could make a big difference. Besides, you love your country, don't you?"

"It's stupid," he mumbled under his breath.

"It's not, and you know it. Inari," Naruto leaned forward again. "What did your father tell you?"

The young man was silent for a long moment. He finally jammed his floppy hat back onto his tousle of black hair and nodded. "I'll go back," he said. "For my mom."

"Good," Naruto smiled. "Tell Tsunami I said hello. And remember, you and she are always welcome in our country."

"I know," he smiled back, nodding. "Thank you, Sasuke-san. Naruto nii-san."

"Anytime, crybaby," Sasuke nodded back with a teasing smile.

"Take care of yourself, Inari. Send me word if you ever need any help," Naruto grinned.

"I will," Inari waved and left the office.


	15. Summer, 7

_**7**_

"So, when exactly are the Chuunin Exams going to be held?" Gaara looked out of the long window and down onto the street. Children chased each other back and forth with waterguns, shrieking happily. He saw a man leading two children up the street and raised an eyebrow curiously.

"In the Fall, after the academy re-opens," Naruto responded from his couch, lounging on it thoughtfully.

"Isn't that bad for security purposes?" Gaara turned from the window and took a seat behind the long desk.

Naruto shrugged. "Not necessarily. It'll keep the kids safe, actually; all those teachers guarding them. Plus, I'll get Sasuke to post some Anbu around the school as a precaution."

"He has children that go to the academy, correct?" Gaara's lips twitched in a little smile.

"All the more reason to get him to post Anbu there," Naruto nodded.

"And the Rock?"

"Well, the Tsuchikage is coming, so you and I can talk to him then."

"About that, Naruto," Gaara frowned. "I was…thinking of giving up on that."

"What? Why!" the blond shot upright, looking surprised.

The red-haired man swivled the desk chair away from his friend, staring back out the shatter-proof window. "I've…caused a lot of trouble for you, for everyone. The Water Country's declared Isolationalism, the Raikage's life is in jepordy, and I've even had to abandon my own country." He frowned. "This isn't what I intended, and I don't want to cause anyone trouble anymore."

"Gaara…" Naruto looked at his friend sadly.

"I'll go home after the Chuunin Exams are over," he nodded, more to himself. "I'll face all of my problems with Temari and Kankuro by my side." He turned his head sideways to glance at the other man. "Don't worry. You have Sasuke now, after all."

Naruto blushed a little at that. "Yeah, but, Gaara…" he started, sounding unconvinced, "I don't think you should just give up on that. What kind of impression would that make on your people?" He frowned. "Those who oppose you can use the lack of follow-through as leverage in getting you out of power."

"I just want what's best for everyone," he mumbled.

"You can't please everyone!" Naruto shot back. "Look at me: I tried to please my people, my council, my neighboring country, and it's almost all backfired on me!" He rose to his feet. "But you, Gaara, you have to forge your own path, no matter how difficult! I can only help you along; I can't make the path for you, and if you want to turn away now, I can't stop you… But I _will_ take up what you've been trying so hard and so long to build, and _I'll _continue with it, because it's what all of our contries need. You knew that, and that's why you started it. Am I right?"

"I was a little worried," Gaara admitted, "that you'd changed, Naruto."

"Huh?" the blond blinked, taken aback.

"You've been…different. Almost passive, and that's not like you at all," his friend shook his head, turning the chair back around to face the other man. "I was worried that everything was changing you into a political tool, and that it was my fault, so I wasn't sure how to proceed."

"Huh…?" Naruto felt even more lost.

"But now that you've said that, I'm convinced that you just needed a little push to get you feeling like your old self again," Gaara shrugged. "Just remember, Naruto: you may be the leader of a country now, but that's no reason to change who you are and what you believe. I'll continue with these peace negotiations because I _want_ to, not because I have a sense of duty to fulfil. I feel it needs to be done, and I'll do it; I don't care if one or two countries turn yellow and try to hide from the truth." He clasped his hands together and leaned forward on the desk. "The fact that you and the Raikage have responded to my summons means that this _is_ what we all want, just some people are afraid of change. It can't be helped," he shrugged.

"This was…a test?" Naruto blinked, shocked.

"Pretty much," Gaara shrugged.

"That's—!" the blond didn't have time to finish his sentence. The double doors flew open and a dark little figure shot into the room and toward Gaara.

"Uncle Na—eep!" the figure turned into a little dark-haired boy who froze at the sight of Gaara sitting behind the desk. His white eyes widened and he darted back for the door.

"Huh? What's wrong, Haku?" a little girl entered in his place, looking around. "Oh, I see," her eyes fell on the red-head sitting behind the desk. "You must be the Kazekage. Where's Uncle Naruto?"

"Hana, be polite," Uchiha Sasuke came into the room after her, a terrified Haku locked onto one of his legs. "Haku, don't be rude. Greet the Kazekage." The two children obeyed, the boy detaching himself from his father and shuffling up to his sister, hanging slightly behind her.

"I'm Uchiha Hana, Kazekage-sama," the girl bowed only slightly, inclining her head more than the rest of her body.

"I… Uchiha Haku, honorable Kazekage," the boy's hair almost touched the floor with the depth of his own bow. Gaara stood from the chair and walked around the desk to the twins, kneeling in front of them and bowing his own head slightly.

"It's nice to meet you, Hana. Haku," he said gently. "My name is Gaara, and you can just call me that, if you'd like."

The children looked immediately to their father, who shrugged. "Do as the Kazekage says," he nodded.

"Okay, Gaara!" Hana beamed. "Where's Uncle Naruto?"

"He's right there," Gaara tilted his head to the left, indicating a stunned Naruto. "I'm afraid we were just talking about a few things, so we weren't expecting any visitors." He looked at the boy. "Sorry to have startled you."

"No," Haku blushed and shook his head, shrinking behind his sister. "It's alright, Gaara-sama."

"Oh," Sasuke followed the Kazekage's inclination. "There you are, _dobe_. You okay?"

"Fine," Naruto said, not sounding entirely convinced of that himself. Sasuke gave him another analytical look, his mouth twitching into a skeptical frown.

"Uncle Naruto, guess what?" Hana raced over to him. "Uncle Neji's coming home today! We're going to go meet him in the Anbu Tower!"

"Is he?" Naruto shook himself out of it and smiled at his niece and nephew. "That's great! And you stopped by here on the way?"

"Haku wanted to see you," Sasuke commented.

"Only Haku?" Naruto lifted an eyebrow at the dark-haired Anbu and then knelt in front of the children, similar to Gaara. "What's up, Haku?"

"Uncle Naruto, um…" Haku blushed, averting his eyes.

"If you want me to, Haku, I'll leave the room," Gaara stood.

"No!" he whirled frantically, looking slightly paniced. "It's okay! I mean, I don't mind if you hear, Gaara-sama…"

"Haku's worried," Hana said, a frown creasing her little brow. "He's having bad dreams lately."

"Not like _that_," he wailed, his face reddening even more. "I just…don't feel…_right_."

"He says it's like a premonition," Sasuke offered from the doorway.

"What do you see?" Naruto asked soothingly. Haku took a deep breath, closing his eyes, forcing himself to think clearly. Hana, standing beside him, calmly took his hand and waited.

"I see a tall, white-blond woman running away through some trees," he murmured, his white eyes looking away distantly.

"Is it long hair?" Gaara asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are her eyes yellow?"

"They're brightly colored," the little boy shook his head. "And her hair is very long and beautiful. She's being chased by men in black clothes; their faces are covered so I can't see them. They're chasing her to kill her, I can feel it," he whimpered, shaking at the memory. Hana wrapped one arm protectively around his trembling shoulders and glared at the three grown men.

"He's tired. He hasn't been getting any sleep," she defended him crossly. "We're gonna go get some water. Come on, Haku." She led him out. The three men watched the children leave. Naruto stood up as Sasuke closed the door after them.

"He was talking about the Raikage," Gaara stated.

"The Raikage's a woman?" Naruto asked.

"He's been having these dreams or whatever for a week now," Sasuke informed. "He was so worked up over them that I finally convinced him to talk to you about them today as we were passing through."

"Do you think he's just making it up?" Naruto frowned.

"He described the victim as a white-blond woman with long hair and light eyes," Gaara shook his head. "That's a basic description of the Raikage, and I think it's safe to assume it's her, seeing as she's being chased in the dream."

"Do you talk about anything at home?" Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Just my own missions, and I don't go into details," Sasuke shook his head. "This is something else.

"The Byakugan working in some weird way?" Naruto guessed.

"Too vague," Gaara waved that thought off. "It might be a coincidence, and it may be that he's really seeing the future. We won't know until we investigate."

"He may be my son," Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, "but I'm not going into the Cloud Country over a dream."

"What do you think, Naruto?" Gaara turned to the blond.

"Well, I've always been sorta mystified by this kind of thing," he admitted, slightly embarrassed. "But I agree with Sasuke on this: it's not much to go on."

"I think I'll send another message to the Raikage, just in case," Gaara nodded.

"It's good to keep her updated anyway," Sasuke agreed. "And we can learn more about her status too. Maybe we could see if Haku's dream is worth taking any precautions over."

There was a knock on the door. The two children re-entered, Haku looking much better, but still carrying an embarrassed blush on his face. "Um, daddy, can we go see Uncle Neji now?" he asked timidly.

"Sure," Sasuke nodded, turning to go. He stopped and looked back at the two kages. "We're having a welcome home dinner for Neji at the house tonight. You two are invited to come, if you'd like."

"Oh, please come!" Hana's eyes brightened. "It'll be so much fun! And I can ask Gaara about the Sand Ninjas!"

Gaara raised an eyebrow. Sasuke shrugged. "She likes combat stories," he explained.

"I might be able to come up with one or two," the red-head gave a small grin.

"YES!" Hana jumped up and down.

"Uncle Naruto?" Haku looked up expectantly.

"If I say no, I'll be left out," he laughed softly. "I'll come too."

"Okay!" Haku smiled brightly.

"We'll see you later then," Sasuke waved and led his children out. Naruto and Gaara watched them go.

"Cute," Gaara commented.

"Wait 'til dinner," Naruto chuckled. "They're a riot."

"I'm sorry about pulling you around like that," Gaara gave his friend a side-glance. "I hope you're not too mad."

"I'm not mad," Naruto shook his head. "You're right, I haven't been myself for a while now. I've been distracted by everything. But, I'll change that," he nodded. "Thanks, Gaara."

"No problem."


	16. Summer, 8

_**8**_

When the two friends arrived at the large house on the hill, the air within the courtyard was already filled with delicious smells. Hana and Haku chased one another across the wide courtyard studded with vibrant yellow flowers and overgrown with tall grass. Neji and Sasuke watched them from the front doorway, a pot and two steaming mugs between them; Sasuke leaned back on his hands, his eyes far away and Neji hunched over, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together beneath his chin. As they approached, a sudden flash of forest green sped across their vision and careened for the aforementioned man. With his eyes closed, Neji dug two kunai out of his hip pouch and flung them at the green arc one at a time (but so quickly it merely looked like one flick of his pale hand). Blood flashed in the air and a black-haired man fell out of his attack toward the floor. Hana and Haku stopped running and watched, wide eyed.

In an abrupt poof of swirling smoke, the green figure was replaced with a wooden log with two kunai sticking out of it. The children exclaimed in surprise. Rock Lee came out from behind one of the empty apartments, his arms crossed and a frown on his round face.

"And what if you really _had_ killed me?" he asked his teammate.

"Kunai don't _kill_ you, Lee," Neji snorted. "And I'm sure you're fast enough to dodge _that_, after training with TenTen for this many years."

Lee grimaced. "Don't remind me. Hey, Uchiha," he nodded at the raven-haired man, who had seemingly missed the whole thing. He blinked and looked up at the man addressing him.

"Oh," he said. "Hi, Lee."

"Did I scare you guys?" Lee called over to the children.

"No, but you scared the hell out of _me_," Naruto grumbled, clutching at his heart as he came within earshot, Gaara right behind him. The red-head gave Lee an appraising look.

"You've improved very much," he commented.

"Hokage! And the Kazekage!" he exclaimed, opening his arms wide. "Didn't see you there! How are you?"

"Recovering," Naruto scowled.

"It's good to see you again, Lee," Gaara nodded.

"Uncle Lee!" The five men present looked toward the voice. Hana and Haku were standing there and staring at the green-clad jounin intensely.

"Er, yes?" he asked hesitantly.

"Do it again!" Hana exclaimed, clenching her fists. "I wanna see it this time! Do that smoke thing again!"

"What? You mean the kawarimi jitsu?" he raised a thick eyebrow. "But that's a genin-level technique."

"Pleeeeease?" the two of them chimed.

"Not right now," Hinata came to the open doorway, wiping her hands on her apron. "Time to wash up for dinner."

"Mom!" Hana wailed. "I wanna see it! Please?"

"After dinner," she nodded, stepping aside. "Come on."

* * *

The thick and warm summer night wrapped them all in a peaceful cocoon as they sat in a row on the back porch, talking amongst themselves. Sakura was curled up against Lee's side, her eyes half-closed in a doze. He watched her from the corner of his eye sometimes as he talked with the other men, and Hinata sat beside her cousin and her husband, refilling their tea cups every so often. Her white eyes drifted from their conversation to the full moon above occasionally. Naruto also seemed to be thinking of things. After a while of sitting between Sasuke and Gaara, he abandoned their conversation and went over to the children, who were playing further down the yard. They were doing some light sparring, and he sat down to watch them, his chin resting in his hands. His blue eyes stared both at them and through them, both seeing and not seeing. He was thinking about what Gaara had said in his office earlier.

_Maybe I have changed,_ he mused. _But isn't that a good thing? I'm just trying to do what's best for Konoha, right? I _had_ to change; I couldn't be that loud-mouthed little brat forever, could I? No. I had to grow up. I have to protect all the people who live here. And now, especially…_ His eyes focused on the children. They were trading half-hearted blows, trying to fight the drowsyness their full bellies were giving them. His glance shifted sideways, to the small knot of friends talking softly amongst themselves. Hinata was laughing at something Lee had said. Neji was smiling. Even Sakura, who had been half-asleep, was giggling and hugging her fiancée tightly. Uchiha Sasuke, however, was looking right back at him, his dark eyes full of intensity. Naruto felt a chill rush up and down his spine and he broke eye contact, withdrawing back into himself. _I had to, and especially for him. I went through hell to get him back. I endured nine years of watching him build a family and I waited patiently, knowing that he would almost certainly never return my feelings. And besides…_ he pouted to himself, not knowing he did it. _Sasuke's still in another world. It's hard to have time to ourselves, much less do anything with that time. _He wore the sulking like a second coat. _We've only kissed, dammit._

"Uncle Naruto?" a tiny voice broke into his thoughts. He snapped his eyes up to the twins who were standing in front of him, holding hands and looking at him in concern.

"Ah… Sorry, guys," he chuckled. "I guess I just ate too much."

"Is something wrong?" Hana sat on his right side.

"You look upset," Haku sat on his left side.

"It's nothing," he waved it off with a smile. "I told you, I just ate too much. Your mom and Aunt Sakura cook really well, huh?"

"Mommy's preoccupied lately too," Hana pouted, wrapping her strong, slender arms around one of Naruto's biceps. She leaned her head against his arm with a frown. "The only one who pays attention to us anymore is Daddy, and he's never home," she frowned.

Naruto felt a pang of guilt wash over him. _That's right. I'm taking all of Sasuke's free time now, so these kids…_

"We may be young, but we're not stupid," Haku said quietly, almost angrily, "and we're not blind or deaf. We know that Mommy and Daddy had an arranged marriage and they probably don't love each other. We accepted that already, because they do _like_ each other, and they both love _us_, so that's alright, isn't it?"

Naruto blinked in shock. "Where did you hear that?"

"People in school talk about us," Hana said in a small voice, completely different from her usual confident tone. "They say the Uchihas are a cursed clan; that Uncle Neji is the only good thing to come from the Hyuugas. The adults pity us and the other kids stay away from us. We see it all. We hear it."

He felt his hands curling into fists of rage. He had sudden vivid, angry flashbacks of his own childhood: being teased, being called a monster, being avoided, being hated, for no other reason besides the thing inside of him. Judged before they knew who he was and ignored and rejected as the monster who had killed the beloved Fourth Hokage…his own father. Hot tears filled his eyes and each one that dripped down represented another memory of being yelled at, hit, pushed down, spit on, cursed at, hiding alone in a dark corner of some place. When he looked down into the eyes of the twins he saw his old pain reflected back at him. Loneliness, sorrow, alienation, harsh and bitter words taken like jagged little pills of glass and hate and swallowed without a word, without a complaint. Hana and Haku tried their hardest, and the only one who noticed was their father, who—ironically—had never noticed things like this before in his entire life. His shaking arms went around the children and he held them close, pressing choked, wet kisses on the tops of their heads as they shivered and shook in his embrace, trying their hardest not to cry aloud. A shadow fell over them, and the three looked up into the worried face of Uchiha Sasuke—the only man who seemed to love all three of them simply for who they were. The only man in the whole world who showed them love, respect, admiration, and joy.

"Are you three okay?" he whispered gently, his eyes betraying his calm voice. "Hinata said she thought you were crying and she wanted to know what was wrong…"

"Your children are amazing, Sasuke," Naruto choked out, standing up abruptly and lifting the children to their feet. "So amazing in fact, that I was thinking of taking them on a little training expedition this weekend." The two kids looked up at their uncle in amazement. Sasuke blinked, startled. "I mean, I know I have a country to run, but Gaara's here, and I have an entire office full of people that can handle my duties for a month or so," at the mention of 'month', the children's eyes got impossibly bigger. "I mean, we have to start training them formally, right? And I really don't feel like sitting in my office and waiting for the Chuunin Exams to start in the Fall. And I know you don't have any pressing missions that you can't pass on, right?"

"No…" Sasuke could only blink again.

"Then that settles it!" Naruto clapped his hands on Hana and Haku's shoulders. "Let's go ask your mom for the okay, how about it, guys?"

"YEAH!" they both shrieked with happiness and broke from him, rushing over to the startled adults and attacking their mother from two sides. Sasuke slipped his hands into his pockets and gave a slight frown, his brow furrowing.

"Naruto…who's going to take over for you?" he asked.

"Gaara, probably," he shrugged. "Maybe I'll ask baa-chan to come in as a favor. I'm not sure yet."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, leaving Konoha at a time like this?" the other man lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "Aren't you at all worried about the Raikage?"

"Of course I am!" Naruto shook his head. "But Gaara's really the only one who knows how to contact her, and I really don't feel like just sitting around in my office and waiting for something to happen! You can feel it too, can't you? Everything's come to a halt."

"True, we've had a decline in the number of mission requests…" Sasuke admitted. "Even the Anbu don't have much else to do at the moment."

"So, you agree then!" he clapped his hands together. "That's great! It'll give me a chance to clear my head, too."

"Now, hold on…" Sasuke faltered.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto leaned forward, his fists on his hips and a mischevious grin painting his scarred face. "Are you afraid of being alone together with me?"

"Ehh!" the black-haired man took a hurried step back, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "That's—"

"Daddy!" the two children came rushing back and latched themselves onto his legs, one for each. He looked down at them and shook his head to clear it: "Huh?"

"Mommy said it was fine with her if it was okay with you!" Haku beamed up at him.

"So, can we go? Will you come?" Hana squealed. Sasuke looked back and forth between their glowing, eager faces. His lips twitched in an uncertain frown and he glanced up at Naruto, who merely smiled happily, his eyes closing as he turned and went back to the others.

"I'll ask Gaara to office-sit for me. You three should pack early tomorrow," he waved back over his shoulder, leaving Sasuke standing there confused as his two children hugged and squirmed at his legs.

"That… that _dobe_!" he snarled, his left eyebrow twitching slightly. _Who's afraid of being alone? I'll show him!_

_Whoa! Wait! Stop!_ Another side of himself jumped up at that. _Show him what, exactly? What the hell do you _think_ is going to happen when the two of you are alone? The kids will be there, remember?_

"Yeah," he sighed. "Nothing'll happen."

"Hm? Daddy?" Hana blinked up at him. "What's wrong?"

"Your face is all red," Haku peered up at his father. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Geh…" Sasuke sighed, giving up. "Let's go you two: bedtime."

"Aww!" they pouted. Sasuke glanced up at Naruto, who was leaning down and laughing happily with Hinata and Sakura, Neji and Lee shaking their heads and Gaara looking at the blond with something akin to relief. He sighed again. _That…damn…usuratonkachi,_ he mentally cursed. _He still does as he pleases; I suppose I should be glad that hasn't changed._ He gave one last look before heading inside with the kids. _He's already changed so much, so at least with this, I'm back in familiar territory. I don't know how to handle a serious Naruto. Maybe he's right. Maybe this _will_ be good, for all of us._


	17. Summer Affair Bonus

_**Summer Affair: Bonus Chapter**_

"Alright, that's it for today," the blond man relaxed out of his stance. After half a second, the little girl did the same. Her chest was heaving and her brow was furrowed and beaded with sweat. She breathed deep for a moment and then bowed at him.

"Please, let me try once more, Uncle Naruto!" Uchiha Hana begged.

"Relax, Hana, you don't have to push yourself," Uzumaki Naruto smiled and waved off her bow. "But if you'd like to try once more, then that's fine with me. Want me to talk you through it?"

"Mm," she nodded. "Just once more, and then you don't ever have to explain it to me again."

"I told you, that's okay," he laughed. "Come over here." He waved her over, she came and he crouched down, grabbing a stick from some nearby growth. "Now then, here's you and here's your opponent," he drew two circles in the dirt at their feet. "Sometimes, you may get caught off guard, and when that happens you use the kawarimi jitsu to save yourself by pulling something out of the nature around you and putting it in your place." He drew arrows to illustrate his point and she watched carefully, her amber-black eyes straining to fixate the diagram in her memory. "You can use a log, a rock, an animal, and sometimes even another person. This technique uses speed to work. Understand?"

"Speed…" she kept staring at the dirt circles and lines, her eyes pounding and pulsing. "No one's faster than me…"

"Okay then! Prove it!" Naruto stood up and stretched a bit. "I'm going to come at you, and I want you to use the kawarimi jitsu to avoid my attack. Got it?" She kept her head down, eyes on the drawing, for another moment, then nodded and straightened, jumping back a little and crouching into her father's fighting stance. Farther back, by the lake's edge, Uchiha Sasuke and his son Haku sat cross-legged and facing the sparring match. They had been meditating, and now, Sasuke opened his eyes and Haku instantly did the same.

"Watch," he told his son, looking up at his daughter. "Watch Hana. See what she does. I want you to focus, to _see_ it, do you understand?" Haku nodded wordlessly and furrowed his eyebrows, staring intently at his twin sister. He saw her chest rising and falling, he saw the sweat trickling down her face and neck, he saw the smudges of dirt and the bruises from where she had been hit and fallen. He saw her clothes rippling in the almost-unnoticable wind, the strands of her hair sticking to her skin, lifting gently in that almost-wind, he saw the pulse of the thick life vein in her neck. He saw it all. _Concentrate. Concentrate. See it. See it._ He chanted to himself, staring, his eyes burning and hurting, his head aching. Still, he watched her.

Naruto crouched, took in how she was standing, and gave a thin and humorless grin. _Exactly like her father. _He leapt forward, pouring no chakra into his movements; he didn't want to seriously hurt her. He dashed toward her and she didn't move but merely watched him come closer, her eyes wide and red-rimmed. He thought she was straining them. His fist came up and he aimed for her stomach, pulling the strength from it, not wanting to cause her any more pain—they'd been at this trick all day, and seeing her fall and writhe in pain made his heart break. But she had asked him to teach her, and he would, no matter how much it hurt either of them. His punch connected. Her eyes got impossibly wider. Spittle dripped from her mouth as her body arched inward against his loose fist and she got sent sprawling backward. She hit the dirt, defeated. Naruto stopped over her, a sad look on his face.

"Sorry, Hana," he mumbled.

Haku watched his sister watch her attacker. He watched her fists tighten, her knees bend just the tiniest bit. He saw the dirt at her feet shift slightly and he knew that's when it had happened. He couldn't follow her speed though; it was beyond anything he'd ever seen her do before. Naruto's blue eyes widened as the girl at his feet exploded in a cloud of smoke and a log sat in the dirt in her place. He instantly scanned his eyes around for where she could have been. Haku did too, trying to see where his sister had gone. Both of them saw her in the underbrush behind her uncle, crouched and waiting for an opening. Naruto scooped up a rock and threw it into the bushes, knocking her out of her crouch and off balance and she tumbled into the clearing, her eyes wide with surprise. And then she turned into a log. Naruto cried out in surprise and Haku blinked, not expecting her to do it a second time. The blond turned to look for her and she was there, her small body arching through the air at him, her fist clenched hard. He had no time to counter—she punched him in the face and Naruto fell onto his back with a surprised cry. Hana stood over him triumphantly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Ha! I did it! I hit—" she exclaimed and fainted mid-sentence. Haku started and got to his feet but Naruto sat up and caught her before she hit the floor, smiling gently.

"It's okay, Haku," he called to the boy. "She's just expended a lot of chakra. She'll be fine after a nap." Haku nodded and relaxed, standing. Sasuke stood too, placing one hand on his son's thick hair.

"Did you see it?" he asked.

"I saw when she first substituted herself," he admitted, "but I couldn't follow her after that. And I wasn't expecting her to do it a second time."

"You have to remember that every person is different, and you can't actually predict what they'll do. No jitsu in the world can let you read minds," he shook his head. "That's why we train our senses as well as our muscles, to see, hear, smell, and feel when something happens. That way, we're prepared for it when a situation like this occurs." He thought for a moment, then said: "Your aunt, Sakura, did something similar once. She used the kawarimi jitsu twice to fool an opponent and the third time she attacked, he mistakenly thought she would use it again, so after he hit her he started looking for where she'd appear again. She had let herself get hit, and she successfully landed a blow on him."

"Did she win?" Haku asked.

"It takes more than clever tricks to win a battle," Sasuke shook his head. "Although, sometimes, that's all it seems to come to." The two of them went over to Naruto and Hana. Haku took his sister from the blond's arms and carried her slowly back to their tent. Sasuke reached down and hauled Naruto to his feet. "Good job, sensei," he teased with a grin.

"I feel so horrible though," he sighed. "I had to hit her all afternoon for her to finally learn it." He laughed slightly. "Sounds bad if I put it like that, doesn't it?"

"Hana's tough, she can deal with it," Sasuke shook his head. "If you tell her that, she'll say something like she _wanted _to get hit." He laughed a bit too. "She reminds me a lot of you sometimes."

"How so?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"She doesn't know when to give up," Sasuke answered simply and made his way back toward the tent.

"Wha—? HEY!" Naruto yelled after him. "What are you trying to say? Sasuke, you bastard! Come back here!" The blond gave chase, red-faced.

* * *

"Hey, Daddy? Uncle Naruto?" Hana put her plate down and stared intently at the two adults.

"Hmm?" Sasuke looked up, his spoon still in his mouth.

"Y-yes?" Naruto blinked, surprised at her sudden intensity.

"I wanna watch you two spar," she stated.

"You want to…watch us…" Naruto repeated.

"Spar?" Sasuke finished, taking the spoon out of his mouth. "Why?"

"I want to see how two masters fight," she admitted, her little face turning redder than the firelight between them. "I… I want to see how far behind I am."

"Hana, you can't become stronger overnight," Sasuke frowned. "It takes years and years of hard training and studying. You know that."

"I know, but…" she pouted.

"I'd like to see it too, actually," Haku jumped to his sister's defense. "I want to see you two spar as well. I don't think I've ever seen Daddy or Uncle Naruto fight seriously before."

"A serious spar?" Naruto exchanged glances with Sasuke. "Well, I mean…"

"Why not?" Sasuke shrugged. "I haven't had a good sparring partner for some time now. How about it, Naruto?"

"I…" Naruto's eyes lowered to the fire before him, one hand going automatically to his stomach. Sasuke's look darkened. The twins exchanged confused glances.

"If it really bothers you to spar, then nevermind I asked," Hana shook her head.

"We're sorry, Uncle Naruto," Haku nodded.

"No, it's okay," he smiled weakly. "I'd like to spar, but…"

"Did you forget,_ dobe_?" Sasuke spoke roughly, putting his plate down on the log beside him. "About the power these eyes of mine have?"

"Ah…!" Naruto looked up at the other man. "You mean…the Sharingan?"

"We get to see Daddy use the Sharingan?" Hana squealed in delight. "Oh, please!"

"Hana, what if Uncle Naruto doesn't want to…?" Haku frowned at her.

"No, it's okay," Naruto shook his head and stood up. "We'll do it. Right, Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Sasuke stood as well, a dark look on his face hidden by his lengthening hair.

* * *

They stood in front of one another. They had put out the fire and now only the light of the full moon illuminated their figures. The two children watched intently from the safety of the tent, which—for some reason—the adults had deemed an "off-limits" place. The adults were out of earshot.

"Is that why you don't spar anymore?" Sasuke asked in a low voice, aware that sound travels.

"Huh?" Naruto didn't care if his voice carried or not. "What are you talking about, Sasuke?"

"The Kyuubi. That's why you never spar anymore," he stated more than asked.

"Ah, that's because…" Naruto faltered.

"I knew it," Sasuke shook his head. "How long's it been since you last fought anyone?"

"I…" Naruto looked away.

"Look, _dobe_, you can't be scared of that thing forever!" Sasuke glared at his stomach as if he could actually see the Kyuubi's head poking out of it.

"I'm not!" Naruto shot back. "I'm just… What if I lose control again?"

"You won't," Sasuke sighed. "Not while I'm here, at least."

"But…"

"You won't, okay? I promise I won't let that happen."

* * *

"What are they saying?" Hana whispered to her brother, straining her ears to hear a snippet of their conversation.

"Something about Uncle Naruto not wanting to fight anymore," Haku informed, closing his eyes and opening his ears, like his father had taught him to do earlier. "It's like, he doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"But it's just sparring!" Hana wailed.

"I don't think it's the act of sparring they're talking about," Haku frowned, furrowed his brow, and concentrated.

* * *

"It's a demon, Sasuke," Naruto sighed. "You can't control demons. Especially the nine-tailed one."

"The Uchiah Clan _can _control them, though. Have you forgotten what I told you?" Sasuke snapped.

* * *

"Control demons?" Haku repeated. Hana looked worriedly to the two figures standing alone in the moonlight.

"Why are they talking about demons?" she asked herself quietly.

"I can't catch enough to understand their conversation," he explained to his sister.

"Well, are they gonna spar, or aren't they?" she pouted.

* * *

"Sasuke…I don't want to hurt Hana and Haku. I don't want to hurt anyone else with this power," he argued weakly, his hands clenched across his stomach, as if trying to hide the seal marking from the other man's eyes. "I don't want to use it; I want to be strong with my own power, not with the Kyuubi's."

"This is another reason for your odd behavior, isn't it?" Sasuke asked. "You don't want the people to judge you anymore, so you just cover up the fact that you _have_ a demon inside of you!"

"Don't remind me," Naruto looked away.

"No, I _have_ to remind you!" Sasuke snapped. "Because you've forgotten! That Kyuubi is part of who you are!"

"How can you say that!" Naruto burst out. "I'm nothing like the Kyuubi! We're not the same at all!"

"I'm not saying that, Naruto!" Sasuke reached forward and grabbed one of Naruto's wrists. "You're just turning words around to justify this to yourself!"

* * *

"Ah!" Hana saw the movement and got excited, but her happiness quickly faded. "They're still just talking."

"I think it's important, what they're talking about," Haku looked over at his sister. "I think we should just wait until they're done."

"Man, this is boring," she lay her head on her knees and watched the two silhouettes arguing back and forth.

* * *

"Naruto, without the Kyuubi, you and I would have both been dead a long time ago," Sasuke spoke angrily but quietly, his eyes flashing in the dark.

"I know, but…" Naruto tried to pull away.

"No," Sasuke pulled him back. "It's the truth, and you know it. Of course you're not the Kyuubi, I know that, all your friends know that, and _you_ know that—that's the important thing! Never lose yourself, Naruto. You're you, no matter what happens."

"Sasuke…" Naruto tried hard to fight the tears rising in his eyes.

"If you're afraid of it, that means the Kyuubi's winning," Sasuke said, a bit sadly. "You can't turn away from it; it's inside of you. Your father put it inside of you for a reason, right?"

"Did he?"Naruto frowned.

"I'm sure he did," Sasuke nodded. "You have to live with the Kyuubi, but it never has to _be_ you, do you understand?"

"It's like a roommate you can't get rid of," Naruto tried to joke and gave a pathetic laugh. Sasuke's brow furrowed. "I get what you're saying, Sasuke," Naruto assured him. "Don't worry, I get it."

"So then, are we going to spar, or are we going to let my kids watch this drama any farther?" Sasuke asked with a slightly amused raise of an eyebrow. Naruto looked over at the two tiny figures framed by the tent and blushed despite himself.

"Alright, but—" he started.

"Don't worry, _dobe_," Sasuke grinned and released his hand. "I'll know what to do when the time comes."

"Thanks, Sasuke," Naruto smiled.

* * *

"Hey, Hana!" Haku sat up straighter. "It looks like they're really going to start now!"

"Huh?" Hana lifted her head. When she saw the two shadows crouch and lift their arms she awoke instantly, hugging her knees to her chest and leaning forward.

"Yes!" she grinned. "It's about time!"

* * *

"We'll stop at first blood. That okay?" Sasuke asked.

"We should have stopped at first blood back then too," Naruto commented.

"Smart ass."

"Bite me."

* * *

"Whoa!" the twins chimed.

"I think they moved," Haku blinked.

"Are you sure?" Hana squinted.

* * *

The twins sat in stunned silence, their eyes wide and reflecting the low-hanging moon as they continued to watch. The two shadow-figures stood apart, their stances weakened from weariness but still alert and ready for the next move. Naruto made hand seals, and seven more Narutos popped up beside him. Sasuke's Sharingan turned and turned, canceling out one after another until he found the real one hiding in their midsts. His hands flew in their seals as the eight Narutos leapt forward to pound on him. He darted backwards, lifted his fingers, and inhaled deeply.

"_Katon! Goukakyuu no Jitsu!_" he shouted and exhaled. A stream of vivid yellow-orange-red fire burst from between his fingers and congealed into a swirling fireball for a half-second before roaring forward and engulfing all the Narutos. Puffs of smoke indicated where seven kagebunshin evaporated under the powerful chakra flames. The eighth, real Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke swayed a bit on his feet, light-headed from the use of so much chakra in one go. In truth, he was a little impressed. Even after not fighting at all for several years, Naruto was still able to keep up with him. Sasuke supposed Naruto did train on his own still, but fighting another person was something different. _Huh. __Maybe he really _is _better than me,_ Sasuke mused to himself, finding it slightly amusing how he wasn't upset over that thought like he would have been before. His eyes slowly deactivated on their own. _Uh-oh. I'm out of chakra_, he frowned. _But if I know Naruto, only making seven kagebunshin means he's pretty low too. I've gotta find him and finish this. _Sasuke turned and searched the area for Naruto. He used the trick he had taught his son earlier, and began to close out his senses. It was too dark to use his sight and Naruto hid himself like an Anbu, so hearing was out of the question. He wasn't from the Inuzuka clan, but if he concentrated, he could almost smell Naruto's sweat and exhaustion. He focused on that now, eyes closed and waiting.

* * *

"What's he doing?" Hana whispered fiercely, her fists clenched on her knees. "Uncle Naruto's gonna attack him if he's just standing there like that!"

"He's sensing," Haku explained, watching eagerly. "He's closing off his other senses and focusing on one that will help him find out where Uncle Naruto is."

"Mm…" Hana pouted but kept watching.

* * *

Sasuke didn't hear the rustle of leaves as Naruto rose from his hiding place, nor the zip-whisper of cloth and skin ans Naruto reached into his hip pouch and brough out one kunai, aiming it carefully at Sasuke's left bicep, not wanting to really hurt him and jab him in the back.

"Looks like first blood's mine," he chuckled to himself and flung it.

Sasuke smelled Naruto's scent from the trees behind him. He loosened his concentration in time to hear the kunai whipping through the air and he jumped straight up in time to avoid it.

"Ah!" Naruto exclaimed aloud, mentally cursing himself. He sprang into the air to persue the other man.

* * *

"Whoa!" the two kids threw back their heads to watch the battle in the sky.

* * *

Sasuke grinned. Naruto had fallen for it. He dropped out of his jump and started to fall back as the blond continued to ascend. They passed each other. Naruto started and looked down at Sasuke, who concentrated his last chakra reserve into his palm and made it burst, hurling himself back up toward Naruto, leg extended with a kick. "_Lion Rendan!_" He caught Naruto in the jaw. The blond toppled from the sky and Sasuke chased him down, throwing out his leg and hitting Naruto a second time, this one in the stomach. Quickly, he grabbed Naruto's shoulder and flipped them both around, bringing his elbow up and out, adding a backhand to the combo. Sasuke used the momentum from that move to throw himself over Naruto and punch him hard in the solar plexus, sending the blond rocketing to the ground where he landed with a bone-shattering thud. "Here I come, Naruto!" he cried and flipped around again, finishing the move with a devastating kick to the stomach that would have had anyone bleeding instantly. Sasuke recovered and landed on his feet beside the defeated blond, a superior grin on his face. "Looks like first blood is mine—"

A poof of white smoke revealed a small crater in the earth. Sasuke's grin dropped off his face and he whirled, cursing his blind assurance. "A kagebunshin, Naruto? That's always your trump card!" he called out bitterly, trying to summon up his Sharingan eye but his tired body denied him.

* * *

Back at the tent, Hana and Haku could only gape in silent amazement.

"Did you see it, Haku?" Hana whispered dreamily. "Did you see that amazing move?"

"Where's Uncle Naruto?" Haku's eyes darted back and forth.

* * *

Sasuke felt him coming, but he couldn't tell from where. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to cut through the darkness. A rumble shook him where he stood. Sasuke looked down; a hand was clamped firmly around his ankle. Down he went. Naruto popped up in his place, grinning. "_Doton! Shinjuu Zanshu no jitsu!_" he crowed, crouching down to look at Sasuke's head—the only body part left exposed after the jitsu. And it did not look happy. Sasuke glowered. "Success!" Naruto flashed him a victory sign. "Now don't squirm, it'll be over in a second," he pulled out a kunai to mark up Sasuke's cheek. But then there was a poof and Sasuke was gone.

"You're not the only one who knows how to use bunshin, _dobe_!" Sasuke's voice came from behind and Naruto spun to see a fist coming at him. Quickly—and because he couldn't think of anything else to do—Naruto muttered words and clapped his hands together and another smoke puff appeared.

"You wouldn't hit a girl, would you Sasuke-kun?" a sweet and pouty voice came from the cloud and it dispersed, revealing a beautiful blond haired, blue eyed girl with a full-lipped pout on her angelic face. Sasuke froze, rolled his eyes, and dropped his fist.

"Forget it. I can't be serious when you look like that," he sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, making his way back to the tent.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" her sweet voice called to him as she rushed after him. "Am I not pretty enough for you?"

"Naruto, I swear to any god that'll listen, if you don't change out of that form, I really _will_ punch you," Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. They reached the children and the tent. The twins leapt to their feet and gave curious glances at the woman that somehow resembled their uncle.

"Daddy, that was amazing!" Hana exclaimed. "But…" her brow furrowed at the blond woman.

"Uncle Naruto, is that a _henge_ jitsu?" Haku studied the woman closely.

"That's right!" the woman crossed her slender arms over her chest and laughed. "Want me to teach you?" _WHAP!_ "Ouch!"

"I _said_ change back, dammit!" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched again and he raised a threatening fist. "And stop trying to teach my kids your perverted tricks!"

"Does that mean I can change into a guy?" Hana asked out of pure curiosity. Sasuke sighed in defeat.

"Maybe I'll teach you guys some other time," Naruto changed back in a swirl of smoke, winking. "When your father's not around."

"_Please_ don't teach my children your perverted tricks," Sasuke rubbed his temples wearily.

* * *

His eyes opened of their own accord. His surroundings were unfamiliar and for a moment he we confused, but then he remembered: a tent—they were camping in the deserted woods near the outer border of Konoha. It had been a little over a week now. Hana was progressing beautifully but Haku seemed to be stuck in some kind of mental block that he could not overcome. Sasuke believed it had to be the dreams the boy still had every so often of the mysterious Raikage and her black-clad pursuers. Sometimes, the dream woke him up screaming and covered in sweat. It had yet to happen on their trip, but it didn't mean the boy wasn't thinking about it. Now, laying together beside him, Hana and Haku slept soundlessly and peacefully, wrapped within each others arms. Their small sleeping bags were snuggled between his and Naruto's, but when he looked over to glimpse the blond in his sleep, he was nowhere to be seen. This gave Sasuke a fright (although he would never, _ever_ admit that out loud) and he sat up fully in the dark, his eyes and ears open. And after waiting several tensed minutes he made up his mind, got up and got dressed, opened the tent flap and stepped out into the night, casting a hesitant glance back over his shoulder at the half-open entrance and at his children. As a last-minute precaution, he reached back inside and into his pack, grabbing his hip pouch and pulling it out into the moonlit dark. He opened it and unrolled it fully to expose the multiple pockets and selected two blank tags and his ink brush and bottle. Quickly and skillfully, he scrawled a protection jitsu onto each of them and attatched them to either side of the tent opening, finishing off by placing everything away again and zippering it shut. Then he made a seal with his hands.

"Release," he whispered. His body tingled and the tags glowed suddenly with small blue fire and he became satisfied. Hands in his pockets, his bare feet stepping silently on the cool grass and dirt, he went searching for Naruto. However, he didn't have to search hard or long. He found the blond in the next clearing over, neck deep in the dark blue lake that reflected the dark blue sky, dark blue eyes turned up and reflecting his thoughts. Sasuke stood by the small heap that were his clothes and waited for himself to be noticed. He toed at the water; it was ice cold. His foot shrunk away from it and at the same time, Naruto spoke.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about everything," he said softly, deeply, as if he were entranced by the sky above him.

"About?" Sasuke prompted, sitting down by the lake's edge.

"Everything," he shrugged, the water sloshing as he moved in it. "The Wave Country, Gaara, the Raikage, you…"

"What about them? And what about me?" the black-haired man turned his own face upward to look at the sky with Naruto, a tiny part of his brain longing to look back down but knowing there'd be some consequences, most of which would involve getting wet. And admittedly, the Uchiha was like a cat when it came to cold water.

"I was thinking that maybe we forced the Wave into saying no, you know?" he rolled his head on his neck but didn't look down at the other man. "Like, we put too much pressure on them, and this was the result. And also, Gaara seems restless. I think he's going to return home after the Chunin Exams."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Sasuke said. "I mean, he has to go back sometime, right? And we've heard nothing but good news from Temari and Kankuro, so I'm sure it'll be safe there."

"Mm," Naruto nodded. "I'm happy he'll finally get to return home, but sad at the same time, you know?" He sighed. "It was nice, having someone to talk to all the time."

"You can talk to me, you know," Sasuke muttered, trying not to let the sudden prick of jealousy come out in his words. Naruto heard it anyway and smiled softly, still looking at the sky above.

"Yeah, I know," he said, "but talking with Gaara is a little different. He understands some things that no one else does."

"You mean the _jinkurichi_ thing?" Sasuke tried to clarify.

"Mostly," Naruto affirmed. "It was really nice to see him again, and for such a long time too." There was a comfortable silence between them for a few moments.

"Well?" Sasuke prompted.

"Well, what?" Naruto finally looked down with a confused blink. Sasuke lowered his own eyes to return the stare.

"What have you been thinking about me?" he pressed.

"Er…" Naruto's cheeks turned red and Sasuke saw, even through the darkness between them. "I was just…you know, your family and stuff…"

"Are you thinking about me or are you thinking about my life?" he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, I…" the redness spread to his neck and ears, burning hotly, even in the icy water. "Your kids are really talented, Sasuke," he said and followed it with a string of nervous laughter. Sasuke frowned and got up, slipping his hands into his pockets and walking forward. Effortlessly, he focused chakra into his feet and without stopping he walked onto the water and over to the blond who watched him come, the nervous look on his face increasing with every step. Sasuke stopped when he was directly over him, glaring down.

"That's not what you were thinking about," he stated.

Naruto slipped farther into the water, until only his eyes and the top of his head were showing. "Not really," he mumbled through the water. Sasuke leaned down and flicked him none too gently on the forehead. "Ow! You bastard! What was that for?"

"Because you're a _dobe_," he said and started turning away.

"I am not! Stop calling me that!" Naruto's hand snatched out and grabbed Sasuke's ankle. He shot a burst of his own chakra through his hand and cancelled out the energy beneath the other man's foot. He was off-balance; Sasuke fell into the water with a startled and angry cry. Naruto blinked as the ripples washed against him, a kind of dread growing in the pit of his stomach. "Uh-oh," he murmured. Sasuke rose out of the water like an old-school classic movie monster, dark water dripping from his hair and clothes, his eyes shining dangerously in the fading moonlight glowing from his left, Naruto's right. The blond laughed nervously, scratching his head. The Uchiha grabbed Naruto's uplifted wrist, clamped his other hand on the opposite shoulder, and pushed him back down into the water forcing his weight onto the other man and they tumbled backward into the cold depths of the lake, Naruto sqwacking in surprise and indignation.

They drifted down through the dark, Sasuke's hands somehow burning hot on Naruto's skin. He yanked the blond closer, crushing their mouths together, letting his tongue and a rush of icy water flood the other man's mouth. Naruto fought him weakly, his eyes beginning to close of their own accord. He moaned through the water and slipped his wrist out of Sasuke's death grip, letting his arms sink down and land on Sasuke's broad shoulders, encircling them. Sasuke's hands released him and like twin snakes his own arms darted and slithered around the naked blond's waist, pulling him close and tight against him. The wet clothes felt uncomfortable between them and Naruto's hands tugged at them as their tongues caressed each other and down they sank deeper into the darkness of the lake. They were running out of air but they didn't care. The lack of it made the kiss more desperate; hands groped and tugged and clenched, teeth clicked against one another as their heads shifted and they fought for dominace of the kiss. Somewhere in the jumble of limbs and spinning thoughts, Sasuke's hand ghosted across Naruto's hip and he twitched toward the touch impulsively and longingly, no breath left to moan his want.

Their bodies were floating back upward and they let the water cradle them and carry them back up, kissing, sucking, holding, touching anything and everything they could reach. They broke the topwater and both pulled apart, gasping, sputtering, coughing, gulping in huge lungfuls of air. Halfway between being comprehensive and being ready, their lips met again and Sasuke's hands became bolder, Naruto whimpering and squirming within his touch. He fought the waves of seduction being cast over him fiercely, dragging his nails through the black tangle of wet hair, ripping the neck of the dark, soaked shirt, hissing and struggling and sinking his teeth into the thick and solid muscle of the other man's neck. Sasuke hissed and stopped moving, letting Naruto's teeth cut into him, savoring the pain and marveling at it at the same time. He let the other man rise up over him and hungrily trail his tongue and lips up along the line of his neck and jaw, across his lips and around his face, his hands clenching and tearing the black shirt even more. The ripping sound mixed with the panting, lapping, grunting noises hypnotized Sasuke, and he let his shirt get ripped away and now they were bare chested and pressing together and their slick wet bodies slid against each other but he was still clothed from the waist down and from Naruto's impatient growl, he assumed that was a bad thing.

In the water, Naruto's shaking hands fumbled clumbsily with the belt around the Uchiha's waist and he growled his frustration again, two seconds away from ripping the whole thing to pieces (although something in the back of his head reminded him that he couldn't break leather with his bare hands but he ignored that). Suddenly and without warning, Sasuke loomed over him again, his hands flying out and gripping the back of Naruto's blond head, the other plunging down through the water between them and grabbing Naruto's erection. The blond threw his head back and howled at the sky as Sasuke's long and cold fingers wrapped about him, and he could already feel a huge swelling building in his gut. _Not yet! No, not yet! _Naruto thought wildly in the haze of his spinning thoughts. _We haven't even started! Don't even _think _about it!_ His cry fell to a mewling plea and he thrust his hips into Sasuke's steady hand, all of his muscles suddenly turning to jelly. Sasuke released him and the other man's cry boardered on heartbreaking, but now the black-haired man was struggling with his belt in the water, making incoherent curses at it when it chose not to come undone instantly. He wrestled it off with Naruto's help and almost instantly, his pants were ripped away. Now they were both naked, and their intensity suddenly quelled and silenced. They held each other close for several moments.

"I… I don't know what I'm doing," Naruto confessed quietly, shyly.

"Neither do I," Sasuke admitted with his own blush, looking away.

"You have more experience at this sort of thing than I do," Naruto confessed, his own face darkening.

"Once," Sasuke shook his head.

"Are you serious? Only once?" Naruto blinked up at him.

"Once was all it took," the raven-haired man nodded.

"…what if I do something wrong?" it was the blond's turn to look away.

"We'll improvise," Sasuke said with a shaky grin. "Besides, we have time. The sun won't come up for a while, and we—" His eyes suddenly glazed over and he fell forward, his head dropping onto Naruto's shoulder. He made a soft, defeated sound in his throat and then was still.

"Ah, Sasuke!" Naruto jumped and held onto him before the other man crashed into the water. "Sasuke, what happened? Snap out of it! Oi!"

* * *

Sasuke's eyes drifted open. He was looking up into a pre-dawn sky, the pinks and oranges and greys mingling with the blues and purples as the stars winked out slowly one after another. The moon was nowhere to be seen. He sat up, a hand coming to his head and he shook it to clear it. Naruto was sitting beside him, hugging his knees to his chest and looking up at the same sky, a thoughtful look on his face. "You're awake," he looked over when he caught Sasuke's movements. "Are you okay now?"

"What…happened?" Sasuke blinked dazedly. "We were in the lake, and now…"

"Mm," Naruto grinned and nodded, a soft blush painting his cheeks. "You passed out right before we got to the good part." He chuckled with mirth. "Honestly, if you weren't ready, you could have just said so."

"I passed out?" he repeated, blinking in confusion. "Why?"

"You were probably chakra exhausted from yesterday's fight," Naruto shrugged. "Hell, _I'm _still beat. But to pass out like that…"

"I left a barrier around Hana and Haku," Sasuke explained, nodding. "And then with that water walk and…well, everything that was happening, I guess I overdid it."

"Oh man," Naruto chuckled again. "If the old you could hear yourself now, I think he'd kill himself."

"Not funny," Sasuke wrinkled his nose. They stayed side by side for a few moments. "I'm sorry," the dark-haired man broke their silence. "If I hadn't have gone and fainted, we'd be…"

"Still going at it," Naruto nodded agreeingly.

"Sorry," Sasuke managed to wince and blush at the same time, which was an odd look indeed.

"It's okay," Naruto shook his head. "Just be careful with how you use your chakra next time. Admittedly, it is mostly my fault," he laughed. "If we hadn't have sparred so long yesterday, we would have had more energy today."

"Mm," Sasuke nodded and silence settled between them again. Somewhere above them, a bird chirped its greeting to the rising sun.

"Come on, let's go back to the tent," Naruto stood with a grunt and offered a hand to the other man who took it and stood as well. They brushed themselves off and turned toward the next clearing, where the tent was waiting.

"Naruto," Sasuke spoke.

"Eh?" the blond turned his head to look at his companion.

"This isn't over, you know," he chuckled as they made their way through the trees. "Now, I'm definitely going to have my way with you, and sooner rather than later."

"This is coming from the man who passed out mid-way," the other man retorted with a snicker.

"Are you challenging me, _dobe_?"

"What if I am? And stop calling me that!"

"Make me."

"My god, since when have you been this immature?"

"Oh please. Look who's talking."

"What a retort! And you call yourself a grown man."

"I'll show you who's a man," Sasuke threatened quietly, a dangerous glare in his eye—although it was a different type of danger this time. Naruto gulped down his comeback and avoided his eyes but began to laugh at the same time. And the two of them reached the tent as a small head poked itself out from the flap and glanced down at the two seemingly random sheets of paper on the grassy floor, and then up at the two adults coming closer.

"Good morning," Haku stood and left the shelter of the tent, stumbling himself over to the other two and rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Come on, Haku," Sasuke put his arm on the boy's back and steered him around to the tent again. "We're all sleeping in today."

"Because rest is just as important as training, you know," Naruto looked over with a sly smirk and Sasuke made a threatening gesture with his free hand. The half-asleep child merely nodded and crawled back inside and to his sister's side, curling up in her arms once more and sliding his own around her waist as he closed his eyes and he was instantly asleep again. Naruto went in next and Sasuke bopped his underside with his bare foot, making the blond tumble inside with a sqwack. Grinning to himself, Sasuke ducked into the tent last and closed it behind him.


	18. Autumn Warmth

_**Autumn Warmth**_

_**1**_

"I've been receiving messages from the Raikage for some months now," the tall, dark-skinned man nodded, laying his hat with the Earth symbol marked boldy on its front down on the table before him. Gaara slid several scrolls onto the desktop.

"I've been keeping touch with her as well, and I know that she's already contacted you for help," the redhead cut straight to the chase. "I'd like to know what your response was, if you don't mind my asking."

"I told her that if she could make it into our country's borders, we'd be more than happy to help her," he answered firmly and honestly, no hint of malice, annoyance, or deception in his eyes or on his face. Naruto liked him instantly—the Tsuchikage seemed like a very nice man, if not a little battle-torn (the blond had marvled at all the scars the broad-shouldered man had peppered all over his exposed arms and face when they had first been introduced; the rough appearance and the shiny bald head reminding him of the examiner, Morino Ibiki). "But I also voiced my concern over getting involved in such a huge political fiasco," he continued, "and I informed her that I would not send any of my own shinobi out to help her—she's got to make it to the border on her own."

"Poor girl," Gaara mumbled to himself, and only Naruto caught his words. "I don't blame you for not wanting to get involved," he spoke louder, addressing the Tsuchikage. "But now that this is an issue and you've agreed to take her into your country, does this mean Rock will join the treaty?"

"Of course we will!" the large man boomed, making Naruto jump in his chair. "I was wondering why the Kazekage hadn't sent me a message regarding it yet!"

"I'm sorry to have worried you," Gaara smiled slightly, "but I assure you, your agreement is crucial in this matter. I've been here in the Fire Country for three months now," he glanced over at the blond sitting beside him, "and the Hokage has been more than helpful and understanding. I've dragged him along through all this and he hasn't complained yet." The redhead gave his friend a soft smile.

"It's alright," Naruto smiled back, waving off Gaara's formal speech. "Our countries have had a kind of tenuous peace for decades now, but none have ever gone so far as to actually establish a treaty. I admire what the Kazekage is trying to do, and I wish to help him with all the power I have, not only because he is my friend, but because I feel that this is what should be done."

"Well spoken," the Tsuchikage nodded, a broad and friendly grin stretched across his broad and friendly face. "It's a pity the Mitzukage does not have the same sentiment, however."

"We do not begrude the Mitzukage his decision," Gaara shook his head.

"Although, declaring Isonationalism seems a bit over the top," Naruto admitted.

"But he felt it was the best course of action for his country, and so he followed through," the other man continued his point. "I respect that."

"I still hope that some day, he'll understand and open the Wave's borders again," Naruto spoke quietly. Gaara nodded his agreement. The Tsuchikage blinked and leaned back, a softer smile gracing his scarred face.

"You're Namikaze's son, aren't you," he stated rather than questioned. The two men looked up at the Rock's leader, stunned.

"You knew the Yondaime Hokage?" Gaara asked.

"You knew my father?" Naruto stared.

The Tsuchikage laughed, a genuine and hearty laugh that came from his belly. "Boys, you may be young but I'm not. I'm only the fourth kage in my village, and I met many times with Namikaze over a variety of things. The Mitzukage—if you can believe it—is also a fourth, and your father went to visit him often as well." His orange-brown eyes crinkled at the corners as he spoke. "Your mother travelled with him a great deal, from what I recall. I met her several times myself. Beautiful woman; you've got the shape of her eyes and face," he commented, leaning back in his chair. Naruto leaned over the desk, his blue eyes wide and hanging off every word the older man spoke.

Gaara noted the look. "Since we three are in agreement, perhaps we should just adjourn our meeting and have lunch," he offered, standing. "We can talk more freely and we can also show you around the village, Tsuchikage."

"That sounds like a good idea!" he got to his feet, scooping up his hat. "I'd like to be taken around Konoha again. I haven't been invited since the last Chuunin Exams were held here."

"I'm sorry, sir," Naruto rose as well. "I've been a bit preoccupied lately. I apologize for my negligence."

The Tsuchikage laughed his hearty laugh again. "So formal! Come, come, my friends! Let's enjoy our day before we're tied down to the exams, hmm?"

"As you wish, Tsuchikage-sama," Gaara bowed his head.

* * *

His third bowl was placed before him and he picked it up with customary reverence. "Thanks! _Itaidakimasu!_" he grinned and began shoveling it down. Gaara lay his chopsticks across his empty bowl and leaned his chin atop his clasped hands, watching his blond friend eat.

"Your appitite for this stuff amazes me," he said, his voice laced with humor.

"He packs them away, just like Minato-san," the Tsuchikage chuckled as he finished off his second helping. This made Naruto stop eating and look over at the broad figure on Gaara's other side.

"My dad ate ramen too?" he asked.

"Ate it? He _lived_ for this stuff!" the dark-skinned kage snickered. "Sometimes I wondered if Kushina-san got jealous of ramen, the way he obsessed over it."

"Mom…" he looked down into his half-finished bowl, studying the shape of his face. _"Your looks are those of your father, but your attitude and your ninjitsu-style resemble those of your mother"_ Tsunande baa-chan had told him. He had drank up those words, had had dreams for months about those people and who they were although he could never know, and his only link to his family—his godfather, Jiraiya—had passed away in the conflict between the Leaf and the Akatsuki. Thinking about it depressed him.

"_Oi! Naruto no baka!_" a voice cut through his thoughts and he suddenly had a warm faceful of soup. He sputtered and dropped his bowl onto the countertop, groping for a napkin and looking around at who had hit him over the head. His friend, Haruno Sakura, stood behind the three kages, her hands on her hips and her eyes amused. "I've been calling you! What's got you so preoccupied?"

"Sa-Sakura-chan," he laughed nervously, cleaning his face up with the napkin Gaara had stuck into his groping hand. "You're very energetic today."

"No, I'm worried, that's what I am," she frowned, shaking her head. "Aren't you? With all these people from different countries wandering around, you still find time to come out here and eat that stuff?"

"Well, it's not like I'm by myself," he glanced at the other two men beside him.

She blinked at them. "Well, still. You should at least have Sasuke tagging along or something."

"Who says I'm not here?" a third voice spoke and an Anbu appeared to the left of the Ichiraku Ramen stand, his arms crossed over his chest. He nodded greetings. "Good afternoon, Kazekage. Tsuchikage."

"Tsu-Tsuchikage?" Sakura paled and her wide teal eyes stole to the bald, broad-shouldered man. "Eek!" she bowed hurriedly. "It's an honor to meet you, sir! I'm sorry! I mean, pardon my interruption!"

He laughed good-naturedly. "That's alright! I was wondering how we would snap the Hokage out of his daze and you provided us with the answer! So, thank you!" She laughed nervously, a blush tinting her cheeks. Uchiha Sasuke removed his raven mask and grinned at his old friend.

"Yeah, she has a knack for handling the Hokage's absentmindedness," he snickered.

"Sasuke!" she wailed, ashamed.

"Allow me to introduce my friends and my teammates," Naruto smiled, his eyes cinching shut. "This is Haruno Sakura, the head medic at our central hospital."

"Ah, hello!" she bowed again, her lengthening pink hair falling over her face as she did so.

"And this is Uchiha Sasuke, captian of our elite Anbu guard."

"Hello, sir," he inclined his head.

"Well, I'm glad to see Konoha's full of energetic people!" the Tsuchikage laughed. "Been teammates a long time?"

"Since we were twelve, sir," Sakura straightened.

"That's quite a few years then!" he clucked, impressed. "It seems Konoha's three-man cell system is very successful. Maybe I should begin promoting it when I return to my country."

"You mean, the Rock Country doesn't split their genins into three-man teams?" Naruto blinked.

"No one does," Gaara answered him, "except Fire and Sand. And only the Fire Country has made it standard procedure to have one of those three train to become a medical nin."

"Tsunande-sama once told me," Sakura recalled, "that casualties on the battlefield severely reduced when required medical nins were put into practice."

"It's also carries a little more of a risk," Gaara continued, "since the med nins wear a red cross on their armbands and they're easily distinguishable. They are sometimes captured and forced into healing the enemy until they're exhausted."

"I was never really worried about that," the pink-haired woman waved off his seriousness with a smile. "Naruto and Sasuke would have protected me, I'm sure."

"She neglects to mention that she can damn well care of herself," Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"That's a good confidence to have," the Tsuchikage smiled at her. "Perhaps that confidence makes you stronger, or perhaps it is your downfall." He frowned slightly. "What if, on a mission, you are forced to choose between its success and a teammate's life? How do you Leaf nins cope with that?"

"It's a very hard decision to make, whether we are Leaf, Rock, or Sand," Sasuke spoke up, standing from his lean against the ramen stand. "Whether we are one or three." He put his mask back on his face and tightened it against his dark-haired head. "Those shinobi who break the code of their missions are scum. But a ninja who abandons his comrades is worse than scum." And with those words, Sasuke disappeared.

"Don't mind him," Gaara told the Tsuchikage, "he's always like that." Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other, surpressing their fond laughter at their teammate.


	19. Autumn, 2

_**2**_

"Haku, where's your sister?" Umino Iruka raised an eyebrow. Uchiha Haku faltered, dropping his look away from his teacher and to the empty seat beside him.

"I, ah, she's…sick, Iruka-sensei," he spoke so softly that almost none of his classmates heard his response.

"Huh, well then," Iruka dropped his grade book onto the long desk in front of the blackboard and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll call your house later to give her the homework assignment."

"Ah!" Haku blushed. "Iruka-sensei, I can give it to her…"

"Where is she, Haku?" Iruka frowned at his student.

"Well, I…" he avoided his teacher's stare a second time. Iruka sighed and unfolded his arms, turning to the blackboard. A few of the other children glanced back at Haku and snickered. He ducked his head and began scribbling furiously into his notebook as Iruka started the lecture.

* * *

Uchiha Hana ditched her backpack in the playground and went wandering. It was exciting to see all these new faces in her city, and she saw quite a few different headband symbols too. But, for some reason, no other headband but her father's had a slash through the center symbol. She thought about it but couldn't ever remember asking why it was different or how he had gotten it that way, and she knew he never talked about his past. In fact, she recalled one time that she had asked him about her grandparents and his face had gotten dark and intense and she had been afraid of him for an instant, although she knew he'd never hurt her. Something in that look he had given her warned her and made her back off the topic, and that was when she had learned that their family was the very last of the Uciha Clan. For years after that she wondered why it was that way, but she didn't have the courage to ask again. Her deep thoughts distracted her and she bumped headfirst into a tangle of legs. With a yelp, she fell down onto her backside. The person she'd bumped into stumbled and gave a curse.

"What the hell?" he snapped, looking down at her. "Watch where you're going, brat!"

"I'm not a brat," she rose quickly to her feet, glaring daggers up at him. "You take that back!"

"Make me, _brat_," he grinned nastily down at her, placing his fists on his hips and bending over to come eye level with her.

Hana's fists shook but she controlled herself. "Take it back," she hissed, her eyes flashing.

"Ooh, the kid's got an attitude!" the guy's friend leaned over too and got a good look at her face. "What are you going to do if we don't apologize, brat?"

"I said, stop calling me that!" she stomped her foot.

"Somebody should teach her some respect about talking to her elders," the first punk cackled.

"Agreed," the second cracked his knuckles. Hana stood before them as they towered over her, unflinching. Inside however, she was quaking.

_Haku,_ she pleaded to her brother. _Help me!_

* * *

"So you see," Iruka turned from the chalk board, "the fifteenth rule of the shinobi code states—"

Haku, who had been writing the rules off the board, made his pen stop and looked up from the white page and out of the classroom window. His white eyes shone as the sunlight coming in struck them but he didn't flinch.

"Hana…" he whispered.

* * *

The taller guy's fist came down at her and she hopped away easily, her dark eyes flaring with her temper. The crowd that had been around them dissipated but several spectators ringed around them, many from the Leaf and some from the country with the zig-zag stroke on their headbands. Whispers tossed back and forth around them:

"Hey, isn't that Uchiha's kid?"

"You mean the twin girl? What's she up to?"

"Probably causing trouble."

"Why are those guys attacking her?"

"She probably did something to piss them off."

All around her the harsh words cut and stung, and Hana fought desperately with the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes.

"You're quick," the second guy commented. "But that won't save you."

"…Haku!" she whispered fiercely.

* * *

"This will be on the test at the end of the month, so make sure you copy it all down!" Iruka snapped his pointer at the board and all the kids who had been dozing snapped to attention, some with startled cries. Haku had stopped writing or paying attention and he continued to stare out the window, his brow knitted together in agitation he seldom felt.

_Why do I feel this way?_ He asked himself. _What's gotten into me?_

_Haku!_ Hana's voice came to his head and he started, shaking it. _Haku, please! Help me!_

The boy got abruptly to his feet. Iruka stopped the lecture and looked up at his student. "Haku?" he called. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei, but I have to go!" the black-haired boy whirled and ran to the door, bursting out into the hallway and flying toward the academy exit.

"Haku!" Iruka looked out after him but the child was long gone.

* * *

She jumped back three times, dodging the punches and kicks. On her third jump both of them attacked her at once and she flipped backward, handsprung back onto her feet, and crouched into an attack position.

"Enough!" she cried. "I'm gonna come at you!"

"You!" they laughed at her. "What can you do?"

"Just watch me!" she sprang forward like a tiger, her small fists and feet darting out and showering one of her opponents with overwhelming speed. The one tumbled back with a howl of anger and the other clapped his hands together. One, two, three, the last symbol was 'ram' and he placed his index fingers together in front of his chest. Sparking white-yellow electricity crackled out from his hands and shot forward like an arrow toward her. She turned in time to see it coming at her and froze in surprise.

* * *

The lightning jitsu exploded and Naruto and Gaara looked up at it curiously. "Gaara," the blond's eyes narrowed, "take the Tsuchikage back to the tower. I need to investigate what's going on."

"All right," the redhead nodded and Naruto rushed ahead, robes and hat forgotten. He shot unnoticed through the people, making his way quickly to the outskirts of the academy grounds. Halfway there, Sasuke appeared beside him and joined his pace seamlessly.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Lightning jitsu, I don't know exactly from where," Naruto replied and they continued on in silence, approaching the ring of people in the street.

* * *

The spectators coughed. Hana looked up from shielding herself and saw the back of her twin brother. He let out a breath and looked back at her. "Hana! Are you okay?"

"You came!" she leapt to her feet.

"Of course," he nodded.

"There are two of 'em?" the fallen teen recovered and glared at the newcomer.

"It doesn't matter!" his teammate clapped his hands in the same symbols again. "Get the girl!" They attacked. Hana flew out from behind Haku and met the taller one halfway, ducking under his long arms and delivering a string of fast punches to his stomach. The jitsu-user made another lightning bolt head for Hana, and Haku ran forward and placed himself between them, extending his hands.

"_KAITEN!_" he yelled and projected his chakra outward with the force of it, spinning hurriedly on the ball of his foot and making the energy surround him in a complete protective sphere. The lightning fork speared off the chakra dome and faded and Haku fell to his knees, sweating and panting. "Hana," he whispered weakly and fell over.

"Haku!" she stopped her assult on her opponent and ran to her fallen brother's side. "Are you okay? Haku!" He nodded to her but didn't speak, his mouth hanging open as he gulped in huge breaths, sweat popping from his forehead and running down his face. She held his shoulders and glared defiantly up at the two ninjas, who grinned and lunged at the children.

"_Uzumaki Naruto Rendan!_" a yellow flash whizzed before their eyes and one of the attackers was pummeled by a barrage of blond-haired kagebunshin. A swirl of green leaves hid the children momentarily from view and the second attacker came to a jarring halt, blood and saliva spraying from his mouth. The Anbu dropped his chakra-fused fist and the guy fell in a heap at his feet, coughing and hacking up more blood and spittle. The Hokage landed beside Uchiha Sasuke and turned on the crowd of spectators. "And you call yourself residents of the Leaf!" he spoke in an angry and commanding voice, making those it was directed at squirm. "You let two of our own be attacked and just stood by and watched! _Children_ no less!"

"It's alright… Uncle Naruto," Haku spoke with much difficulty, using his sister's support to rise to his feet. He looked exhausted.

"No, it isn't alright!" the blond snapped, his words at the boy but his face still to the crowd. "What were you all _thinking_? They could have been seriously hurt! They're just academy students and these guys are genin! They could have been _killed_!"

"The girl was doing fine on her own," one villager thought to defend himself.

"You were fighting by yourself?" Naruto finally looked down at the twins. Hana met his stare defiantly, her eyes flickering slightly: black, amber, black, amber, black, red…

"They attacked me first, so I defended myself," she spoke unhesitantly, unafraid. "When they used a jitsu, Haku came to my defense."

Naruto's blue eyes were being muddied by a blood-red color. Sasuke quickly stepped in front of the hokage, between his wrath and the crowd, the eyeholes in his mask revealing the Sharingan eye pinwheeling and turning. "What's done is done," he stated. "Hana, take Haku to the school clinic. I want you two to stay there for the remainder of the day, until I or your mother come to get you." She thought of saying something but Haku reached up and touched one of her hands, shaking his head. She nodded and hoisted him up, leading him away. When Naruto had calmed himself, Sasuke walked behind him and grabbed the collars of the two trouble-starters. "As for these guys," he lifted them up roughly.

"Get offa me!" the first one struggled and flailed. The second could only glare daggers at the masked shinobi, a trickle of blood trailing down his chin.

"Attacking children, using elemental jitsus outside of the designated areas, fighting before your scheduled exam times," he counted off. "I'm taking them to headquarters." He glanced over at Naruto. "Then, I'm going to have a few words with their representative, and I'd like to have them formally disqualified."

"Done," Naruto said without hesitation. "Now you have no business in Konoha. Get out of my country," he glared back at the captives and then left the spectator circle, one side of it parting to let him pass.

"You heard the Hokage!" Sasuke snapped his glare around to address the bystanders. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. There's nothing more for you to see, so clear the area." Slowly at first, then like a trickle of water overflowing to a spill, the crowd dispersed and fled into the streets. The young men were still twisting and thrashing in his vice-like grip. When he was certain no one was in earshot, he pulled the boys threateningly close and flicked his head so his mask fell down onto his chest and he could glare at them outright. His Sharingan eyes turned and hummed in their sockets. The struggling kids froze and became slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "Listen up, you punks," Sasuke snarled, diplomacy forgotten. "If I even _think_ that you're going to attack my kids again for some sort of revenge," his fists tightened, making his knuckles crack, "I will make you _wish_ you had never set foot in the Fire Country. After I drop you off at the tower, I never want to see you here again. _Never_. And I remember faces." His Sharingan flared and the teens winced and tried to pull away. Sasuke did not release them. "Understand?" he growled.

"Y-yes! Yes!" the one with the bloody face whimpered.

"Don't kill us!" the second pleaded in a whinny voice.

A humorless, thin, and somehow sick smile crossed the Anbu's features. He dragged the two toward Anbu Tower. "I won't kill you," he said. "It'd be over too quickly if I killed you."


	20. Autumn, 3

_**3**_

"I'm fine, Hana, really," Haku smiled weakly at his sister.

"What was that move you did, Haku?" she marveled at him. "It was amazing!"

"It's called 'the Heavenly Spin'," he answered with a small yawn. "The _kaiten_. I'm surprised you didn't recognize it; Uncle Neji uses it all the time."

"Is _that_ what it was?" she yelped. "I didn't realize! It looked kinda different from Uncle Neji's…"

"Because I'm not an expert like he is," the little boy gave his sister a sad, helpless smile. "I'm sorry I'm not stronger. I could have done a better job at protecting you if I were stronger."

"You did awesome, Haku!" she thumped her small fists onto her thighs, her face reflecting both anger and worry. "I'm just sorry I couldn't take care of them by myself."

"Hey," he shook his head and reached a small hand out from beneath the white blankets, touching one of her own gently. "I told you I'd never leave you alone, didn't I?" She nodded. "So, it's okay if you call for me. I did hear you today when you called, you know."

"I'm glad," she gave him a shaky smile, her fists relaxing, taking his pale hand in both of hers. "I hope you can call on me like that when you need me."

"I'll always need you, Hana," he whispered lovingly, squeezing her hands. "You're me, and I'm you. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I'll come to help you too," she swore. "No matter where I am or what I'm doing. I promise."

* * *

"He performed the _kaiten_," Hyuuga Neji spoke from his position on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed in thought. "I couldn't do it until I was nearly twelve."

"Amazing," Haruno Sakura spoke, her eyes never leaving the crack in the door from which the adults observed the two children. "Aside from being chakra exhausted, he's absolutely fine: no burns, no broken bones, no strained or torn muscles at all." She glanced to Neji once for confirmation. He nodded.

"Those are all common injuries when practicing the Gentle Fist style of the Hyuuga Clan," he spoke more to his cousin than to the pink-haired woman. "Have you been teaching him anything?"

"I've trained with him once or twice," Hinata answered him, her pupiless white eyes also on the crack in the door. "And I have shown him the basics of the Gentle Fist style, but I've never tried to teach him the _kaiten_ or any other Hyuuga technique." She thought to herself for a moment. "I don't believe I've ever performed one of them in front of him either."

"I've performed the _kaiten_ several times in front of both children," Neji said in what was almost an apologetic tone. "And Haku once asked me the theory behind it. I told him, but I didn't think he'd apply it so early on."

"With the proper training, he can handle it," Uchiha Sasuke spoke from the opposite wall, his pose identical to his cousin-in-law's except his eyes were open. He frowned slightly, thoughtfully. "When Naruto and I took them training last month, he didn't use anything like that at all. In fact, he tended to avoid direct combat," he looked over at Sakura. "His defense is perfect, though. He's ideal for becoming a medical ninja."

"Mm," Sakura nodded. "But he should learn how to attack—to protect himself for the safety of his teammates."

"Hana does all the attacking for him," Uzumaki Naruto leaned back against the small padded chair in the hall beside Sasuke, his smile amused but his eyes grave. "It's like they're two halves of the perfect shinobi—absolute defense and exceptional offense. Like a sword and a shield."

"They can't be like that if they're going to survive in the ninja world," Sasuke bit his lip in concern. "They can't always be together."

"I don't think that will stop them from trying," Naruto answered him, a trace of humor in his words.

"Why don't we begin training them individually?" Neji offered. "Hinata and I can combine our abilities and teach Haku some offensive styles, and Sasuke and Sakura can work on honing Hana's defenses."

"That's a good idea," Hinata turned her eyes from her children for only a second to glance at her cousin. "Although I think it would just be better for you to train him, Neji-niisan."

"That's not true, Hinata," Neji shook his head. "Haku is almost identical to you when it comes to your personalities. Your personalized style will fit him perfectly, as opposed to my own style, which leans more toward aggression than pacifism."

"I suppose that's true," she spoke with a resigned tone, as if training her son was something she'd rather avoid.

"Hinata, I know you don't want to hurt either of your children," her cousin spoke to her in a gentle and almost reassuring voice. "But in order to make them stronger, it is a parent's responsibility to train a child's weakness. Besides, if it is you and Sasuke training them, Haku and Hana will try even harder."

"Why do you say that?" Sasuke asked him. "You'd think it would be the opposite way with how they look up to you and Naruto."

Neji's white eyes opened to look at the other man, his lips thinned into a serious line. "A parent is like a god in the eyes of a child," he explained. "Pouring your own efforts into them will in turn bear greater efforts from them in order to meet your expectations." He stood, turning from the group and starting down the academy hall, towards the exit. "Psychologically, they will not want to disappoint you and work tirelessly at reaching the goals you set up for them. It may be hard and sometimes painful to watch, to know what you are doing to them and what you're putting them through, but it is necessary. And they will only love you more for the attention you're giving them." With those words, he turned the corner and was gone. Naruto and Sasuke looked after him, unknowingly sharing similar thoughts. The blond's eyes were far away and the other man's were clouded with anger and pain. Sakura glanced back to her friends, a concerned look tugging at her face. Hinata put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"Why don't we have them checked out, Sakura-san?" she asked the other woman. "Hana seems fine and all Haku needs is bedrest, so we can carry him home."

"Yeah," the pink-haired woman shook off her worry and grinned. "I'll start the check-out procedures. You can start getting them ready, okay?"

"Okay," Hinata nodded and moved into the room while Sakura turned the opposite way and went toward the nurse's office to get the early release 

papers done. Naruto and Sasuke were alone in the hall, left to the thoughts of their own parents.

_Mom… Dad…_ the blond's eyes almost watered at the thought of them. _Did you love me for that short time you had me? Did you put the Kyuubi inside of me for that reason? Did you know how hard my life would become and would you have still done it, even if you knew?_

_Mother, _the tall, dark-haied man let his eyes slide halfway closed, as if he could see his memories better that way. _You were always so kind, so loving, so ready to give me help and support when I needed it. Were you part of that plot to overthrow Konoha's government too? And my father…_ Now his amber-black eyes hardened and narrowed, giving him a fierce appearance. _Was I just a tool to you, like my brother was? Were you using me—my feelings—and molding me into a killing machine that would do your bidding? Did you truly love me at all?_

* * *

It was a rare occurance when the four of them ate together as a family. Either Sasuke was away on a mission or Hinata was pulling a night shift at the hospital, and at times even the children seemed to prefer the isolation and lock themselves away in one of their rooms. But on this night they sat around the table and ate their dinner silently, each one thinking their own thoughts. Hinata had been looking between her children and her husband, noting that all three of them seemed to be depressed but she couldn't figure out the exact reasons and she had no idea of how to go about addressing it, so she fiddled with her food and cast worried glances at each of them and fretted over what to say and how to say it. Haku was the first to notice her inner struggle.

"Mommy? Are you okay?" he asked from his place beside her. She jumped slightly and looked over at him.

"I'm fine, honey," she smiled and nodded her head. "I'm just glad you and your sister are alright after what happened today."

"It was their stupid faults anyway," Hana made a face from across the table, directly opposite her brother. "They're the ones who started it."

"Regardless of who started it," Sasuke spoke from his daughter's side, "your mother and I are both glad it didn't go any worse than it did."

"If only I were stronger," Haku mumbled, stirring his rice with his chopsticks and staring down into the bowl, "I could have fought longer, and protected you better." His shy white eyes rose to his sister.

She pointed her own chopsticks at him. "If it weren't for you, I would have been hurt real bad, Haku. I'm just sorry I couldn't do anything to protect _you_. I guess I'm not strong enough either."

"You two are still very young," Sasuke reassured, eating steadily as he spoke. "There's plenty of time to train, to hone your skills, to find your strengths and weaknesses and work with them."

"That's right," Hinata nodded to her children. "No one is expecting you to be masters right away. Everything good comes with practice and time."

"Speaking of practice," Sasuke put his bowl down and looked over at the twins, "your mother and I had a discussion with your Uncle Neji and we believe it's about time to train you both individually."

"But isn't that what we did with you and Uncle Naruto, Daddy?" Hana frowned up at him.

"In a sense," Hinata answered her. "This training is a bit different from what you two are used to. But I didn't want to begin this sort of thing until you were older."

Sasuke put his elbows up on the table. Hinata raised a critiquing eyebrow at his gesture but said nothing. "We thought it would be best to save this until you both became genin," he explained. "But your powers and techniques are evolving so rapidly that if your mother and I _don't_ begin formally teaching you how to use your eyes you could really hurt yourselves."

"Our eyes?" Haku blinked.

"We're going to learn how to use our _eyes_?" Hana gaped.

"Yes," he nodded. "Starting next week after school—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—your mother and your Uncle Neji will be training Haku, and your Aunt Sakura and I will be teaching Hana."

"What about Uncle Naruto?" Haku asked instantly as Hana did a little wriggle of glee on her side of the table.

"Uncle Naruto has to worry about the Kazekage and the Chunin Exams," Hinata explained to her children, "so he'll be very busy. But I'm sure he'll make time to come by and see how you two are doing."

"Are you _sure_ we can't just skip out on going to school?" Hana asked with a mischevious look on her face. "I mean, since we're going to practice real hard and we'll always be tired, and we'll learn more things here that the other kids won't. Isn't it kind of pointless to go to school?"

"Nice try, honey," Hinata smiled patiently at her child and shook her head.

"Aw, man!" Hana sprawled out onto her back, defeated. Haku giggled at her.

"No dramatics at the table, Hana," their mother spoke as she finished the last bite of her dinner.

"It's important to continue your schooling," Sasuke looked over at his motionless daughter. "A shinobi needs skill and power and technique, but they also need a strong foundation in the rules and regulations of the trade and the community. It's just as important."

Hana sat up with a pout on her round face. "But it's so _boring!_" she wailed.


	21. Autumn, 4

**_Notes: _**So! Here we are. Finally. Over the filler and into the last leg of the story. Thank god. I hate filler. -- Actually, this story has been more about the twins than Sasuke and Naruto...oops! Not my intention! So I'm going to try to yank the thing back on track in the next couple of chapters. I'm really sorry, guys, this thing isn't coming out at all like I had planned. But I still hope you're enjoying it!

* * *

_**4**_

"There haven't been any disturbances since the first day of the exams," Gaara looked to his left, at Naruto.

"The two nins from Lightning were disqualified for fighting outside of their assigned time," he shook his head. "Not the charge I intended."

"My apologies," the representative from the Lightning nation bowed his head.

"I trust the Sound nins haven't done anything similar to upset the Hokage or ay of the other leaders present," Yakushi Kabuto spoke from Naruto's far right, from his seat at the opposite end of the small meeting table.

"No, there's been no trouble from your shinobi, Yakushi-san," the Tsuchikage shook his bald head, his pointed kage hat perched atop it almost jauntily. "That's a very good thing, considering the history between Sound and Fire."

"Kabuto is proving to be a fine leader for the misguided Sound ninja," Naruto spoke quickly to defend the older man. "They seem to bear no grudge to our country, and we can only return that gesture openly."

"Well spoken," one of the reps spoke in admiration of Naruto's words. The lines carved on his metal headguard identified him as the representative from Grass.

"Yes, I agree," Gaara nodded. "We all appreciate your efforts to override the previous leader's poisonous rule."

"I am trying my hardest," Kabuto lowered his head repsectfuly. White wrappings covered the left side of his face, concealing (only Naruto knew this) the remnants of Orochimaru's curse burned into his flesh. The backwash of power he had received from Sasuke and Orochimaru's final battle had given him the advantage in controlling the aimless Sound and suppressing the ones who still supported their old leader's ways. He had appeared to Naruto twice since that time: once to point him in the direction of Akatsuki and Sasuke, and again a year after he'd become the hokage to offer terms of a truce and peace. With the Chuunin exams finally being held in Konoha again, it was both Kabuto's and Naruto's duty to show that Sound and Fire were adhering to that peace. So far, so good. But the only person who was still dead against letting Sound into their country was standing inside the meeting room as well, glaring daggers at the back of Kabuto's head from behind his mask. Naruto tried not to grin at his comrade's pain.

A knock on the door interrupted their meeting. The hokage nodded to his Anbu guard and the masked ninja reached over and pulled the door open with one hand, the other moving swiftly to the katana handle tied to his belt. Konohamaru entered the room, looking nervous.

"Ah, pardon the intrusion," he bowed at the waist. "I have a summons for the Kazekage."

"For Gaara?" Naruto blinked and turned to the redhead.

"Yes," he rose. "I was told to tell him that his brother and sister were waiting for him downstairs."

"Well, I'm _not_ downstairs anymore!" a voice broke in from behind him and Konohamaru was shoved roughly aside. He almost went sprawling if Sasuke hadn't caught him and moved aside. Temari flew into the room, her green eyes narrowed, daring anyone present to defy her intrusion. No one did.

Gaara blinked and got to his feet. "Temari? Where's—"

"I'm here too," Kankuro spoke and entered as well, clothed in his usual garments, minus the hood and makeup. He looked…exactly like his younger brother, right down to the shortly cropped copper hair and dark-rimmed green eyes. Naruto was taken aback. Gaara came around the table and opened his arms in a non-believing gesture.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked them. "I thought I told you to stay back in—"

"I, for one, couldn't wait anymore," Temari frowned at her little brother, hands locked on her hips. "Do you know how long it's been since you've written us?"

"Erm, ladies and gentlemen, I think it's time to adjourn today's meeting about the exams," Naruto hastily got to his feet, cutting off the blond woman. "We'll meet again after a successful completion of the second examination. Thank you." Murmurs erupted as the nation's leaders rose from their chairs and went to the door, giving the glaring Temari a wide berth. When it was only Naruto, Sasuke, and the three Sand siblings left in the room Sasuke went over and shut the door. Temari was already scolding her brother.

"Do you know how worried I've been?" she cried. Sasuke did a couple of hand seals and pressed a palm to the door. Naruto felt his skin tingle as chakra flooded the room and coated each of the walls, locking them in a sound-proof barrier. He nodded his thanks to the other man. "A month! Not even a quick note to tell us how you are, to tell us if we should show up here or not! You run off and do your own thing and don't care about how the rest of us worry!"

"She was worried that you hadn't written in a while, so she decided that we should head over to see what was up," Kankuro summarized her thought process to Gaara.

"How's everything in Sand?" he asked his brother as Temari threw up her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Fine! Ignore my pain! Keep not listening to me!" she crossed her arms and huffed in agitation.

"Fine," he nodded, "settled. We caught the last renegades three weeks ago and sent the first few to trial. Man, Gaara, I don't know how you can do that job. It's tiring!"

The youngest sibling grinned: "I'm used to not sleeping much."

"Worried about Kabuto listening in?" Naruto spoke to the man that had ended up standing beside him.

"Not him," Sasuke shook his head, keeping his voice low so the other three could talk uninterrupted. "The Lightning dignitary. We're already on his bad side because we kicked out two of his genin; I don't need him hearing anything that he could use against us or the Sand."

"Well, I couldn't just tell the Lightning that they couldn't participate for no good reason," the blond answered him a little crossly. "_That_ would have been an invitation for Cloud to invade in search of the Raikage. And she's not even here!"

"They're hunting for her all over the place," Sasuke nodded. "They know she's still in their country, but she's only one person, and she _is_ a kage."

"I'm worried that we're not doing enough," Naruto frowned. "We told Gaara to let her know we support her, and the Tsuchikage told her that he would grant her amnesty in the Rock Country, but no one's helping her _get_ to those places that want to help." He looked a little confused. "Does me worrying about it make any sense?"

"Yeah," Sasuke ruffled Naruto's feathered blond hair, knocking his kage hat askew. "I get what you're saying. You sure you don't want to send anyone in there?"

"Mm…" he twisted his lips into a thoughtful pout. "I…"

"He-lloooo?" Temari cupped her hands over her mouth and called to the two men in the corner. They both blinked and shook themselves out of their private conversation. "Are you guys even paying attention? We're going to get something to eat!"

"Ah, sorry," Naruto said. "Let's go. Are you coming too, Sasuke?"

"Can't," he shook his head. "I'm training Hana today."

"Then, is it okay if I swing by later?"the blond asked.

"Sure. I'll tell Hinata you'll be by after dinner."

"Thanks."

Temari leaned over to whisper behind her hand at her younger brother: "Aren't they the happy little couple?"

"I say it's about damn time," Kankuro muttered, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

"It took a while for them to get there," Gaara nodded. "I just hope everything can continue to go as smoothly as it is now."

"Are we going?" Naruto came up beside the siblings.

"See you later, Kazekage. Temari. Kankuro," Sasuke nodded to each one respectively. "Oh, and Temari—you might want to drop in and pay a visit to Nara."

"Hmph!" she turned her nose up at him as her cheeks betrayed her and flamed pink. Naruto stifled a giggle behind one robed arm so as not to incur her wrath. Sasuke smirked and left that as his parting shot.


	22. Autumn, 5

_**5**_

She leapt onto the next branch, swiveling her head both left and right, trying to make her eyes see everything around her. They were here, somewhere in these woods, waiting to ambush her as soon as she let her guard down. Her muscles were heavy, tight and straining, and quivering from fatigue. Her breaths came out ragged and shallow, trying not to give away her position but not able to help her gulps for air. Her hair clung dirty and wet from sweat and forest grime, plastered to her head and face, constantly falling into her eyes. With an impatient shake, she flicked her long bangs away and continued onward, dropping from the treetops to the leaf-strewn ground, the soft earth and decaying plants muffling every sound she made. She had almost no chakra left to spare either, so she took careful, slow steps so as not to give herself away to her pursuers. So far, all was as it should be. Quiet.

Ahead of her she saw the rope trap, looped in the thick grass and waiting for her, like a fat brown sleeping snake. She snickered and went around it, and instantly caught the second and third trip wires on either side of it, one made of dark wire and the other consisting of very thin, very fine, clear wire. She gave a humorless smile at the trick and avoided all three, having to go around several trees to do so. No matter—she reoriented herself and stepped out of the trees again. Her foot punched through a layer of dead leaves into nothingness (_A hole!_) and she tottered unsteadily at its edge, flailing her arms for balance, her slender body writhing and struggling with the gravity trying to wrap its grip around her. She won the battle and fell backwards, landing hard on her bottom with a grunted curse. Something beneath her shifted.

"Shit," she uttered aloud, turning her head to look back over her shoulder. A volley of black, glittering kunai and shurinkan whistled through the air toward her. She vaulted to her feet, dove over the hole and rolled upright on the other side, glancing back. The weapon's trajectory curved and arced with her and she saw the faintest glints through the air abve her: _they're on wire tracks!_ She ran for it, flowing seamlessly into a cartwheel that threaded her body through a narrow opening between two trees, effectively stopping most of them. A few others whizzed toward her and from the cartwheel she did a handspring and sent herself flying through the air, tucking her body and rolling tightly, the blades skimming just beneath her and shearing off the very ends of her filthy hair. She landed on her feet and sighed, falling to her hands and knees, panting desperately. "No more…" she whispered wearily.But no one answered her. After a few moments of rest she rose shakily, her brain spinning as her blood rushed down to the rest of her body. Although she made a show of swaying unsteadily, her eyes had already picked out her two opponents flanking her on either side, concealed by the tree branches. Or were they revealing their locations intentionally, so her defenses would lower from her confidence? She shook her head—_I'll never know unless I attack! I've been running all this time!_—and started forward again, slipping her hands into her pockets. She had come in here with no weapons, but that didn't mean she hadn't picked up anything along the way.

The one on the right made their move first. They quickened their pace to cut off her path and she yanked both hands out of her pockets, brandishing their very own kunai and shurinkan. She threw them ahead of her, cutting off the first figure's run. The second, thinking all of her attention was on the other, tossed something toward her. With the last three weapons in her hand, she spun around and flung them to meet the object halfway. When they connected the thing exploded, knocking her forcefully to the ground. She tasted dirt and blood in her mouth. She couldn't see either of them around. Desperately she struggled to rise, her brain spinning and her ears ringing, warmth running from her lips. _I'm missing a tooth, _she realized vaguely as she staggered forward. The first figure cut off her path, glaring down at her. She returned the look, too tired, to worn to care what happened next. _That's it…game over… _The world faded to black.

"Sorry, Daddy…" Uchiha Hana mumbled and fainted. Her father caught her before she hit the ground, lifting her tenderly into his slightly nicked and bleeding arms. From his left, Haruno Sakura came out of the underbrush, shaking her head.

"I didn't think she'd deflect a bomb with a kunai," the pink-haired woman spoke to her friend, a trace of wonder threaded in her voice. "Reckless, but it caught the both of us off guard." She pointed to the cuts peppering his bare arms. He shook his head.

"Actually, I got caught with some of those kunai she threw at me," he explained as he turned toward the house. Sakura fell into step beside him as they navigated toward the Uchiha's back porch.

"She's very resourceful, and quick to act too," she commented.

"Mm," Sasuke nodded.

"The training's going well, don't you think?"

"Mm-hm," he nodded again.

"Sasuke…?"

"Hm?"

"Do you…" she faltered, "um, do you _want _her to activate her eyes at this age? I mean, yours didn't come out until we were almost thirteen…"

"It's not a matter of 'if I want it to happen' or not," he answered her but kept his gaze ahead of him. "There's something fundamentally different abut Hana and Haku's abilities, and they're growing into their potentials so fast that it's a little frightening. But what scares me the most is…what if their eyes aren't exactly the same?"

"But their eyes _aren't_ the same, remember?" she looked confused.

"I mean," he reiterated, "what if their eyes are different from Hinata's or my own? What if mixing the Sharingan and the Byakugan results in some totally new bloodline limit that I have no idea how to handle or control? Without training and discipline, they might just take those new eyes and…"

"Nothing like that would ever happen," Sakura shook her head firmly, surprising her teammate. "Hana and Haku are two gifted and wonderful children, brought up by strong and loving parents. They'd have no reason to use their eyes against anyone, no matter what strange new power arises."

"I've been at that point, Sakura," Sasuke admitted, finally shifting his glance to her profile. "And I tried to use my eyes for some pretty bad stuff."

She frowned, trying to shove the images of the past that were trying to crowd her mind away. "You grew up in completely different circumstances, Sasuke. No offense," she added quickly. He shook his head to indicate there was none taken. "I just feel…" she continued, "that Hana and Haku are like…two halves of one shinobi. The perfect balance for one another; Hana brings out Haku's determination, and he brings out his sister's caution. They balance each other, haven't you noticed that?"

The raven-haired shinobi nodded his head, recalling all the things he had seen his children do. One particular image stood out: the fight in the square just a few days ago, where Haku was protecting Hana as she rushed their attackers. Perfect defense and perfect offense. They moved seamlessly, without communication, and they made it seem natural and effortless. He had never before seen something so… No, wait. He had. With Naruto.

They cleared the last of the trees that sprinkled their backyard and met the second training group. Haku was on his hands and knees, panting harshly as blood and sweat mixed and mingled on his pale skin and trickled down along his arms, legs, face and neck. Sasuke could see the beginnings of the chakra veins popping from the boy's temples. Hyuuga Neji stood over his charge, looking stern with his arms crossed firmly over his chest and his Byakugan fully activated. Hinata stood nearby, her face a mixture of concern and hurt that only a mother could make when knowing it was best to let her child suffer in order to learn something. When she saw Sasuke and Sakura return with an unconscious Hana, she broke the training circle and came for her daughter.

"Is she alright, Sasuke?" she reached for the girl. He gave her willingly, nodding his head softly at his wife.

"She's passed out from exhaustion. I'm going to call it a day for her," he said. At his parent's voices, Haku raised his head to cast a sidelong glance at his sleeping sister. A foot flew out and caught him on the side of the head, making his arms fly out from under him and with his support gone, crash to the ground. He looked dazed. A trickle of blood came from his right temple.

"If you have time to worry about her, you have time to focus on your training," Neji scowled. "There will be no distractions! I've seen no improvement in these past two weeks and it is fairly disappointing." Haku got his hands under himself and slowly tried to push himself to his feet. Hinata looked guiltily at Sasuke, as if she had delivered the kick to him herself.

"That's not true," she whispered. "Neji's been commenting on how much he's improved since we started. He's very impressed."

"Hinata, you have to be more firm with him," Sasuke said and she looked hurt. "I know you don't want to put him in any danger, but you _have_ to. It's the only way he's going to learn."

"But he's only six years old," she wailed painfully, but kept her voice low and pleading. "They haven't even been in the academy for a full year! Their birthday isn't until December! Don't you think we're pushing them too hard?"

"I feel the same way, Hinata," Sakura spoke up, looking uncomfortable forcing herself into the conversation. "But Sasuke just wants them to learn to handle their natural and extraordinary talents. Haven't you wondered why Hana and Haku are so skilled for being so young?"

"Well, yes, but…" she cast a glance back over her shoulder as the sounds of fighting resumed. Haku was taking the brunt end of a full-on assault by his uncle, guarding punches, kicks, and pokes from seemingly all directions. Hinata's eyes watered slightly.

"Hinata," Sasuke spoke gently to her. She turned her attention back to him, wiping her eyes awkwardly as she shifted Hana's weight in her arms. "I know you don't want to hurt them. I don't either. I hate laying a hand on either of them. But," he put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing reassuringly, "if you can't teach Haku, who will? You're the only one besides Hana who can really understand him. You know how gentle and frail he is. You know his limitations, you know his weak spots, you know exactly how to push him and how far and how hard. Don't you see? You're the only one who can really teach him how to grow into his power. He's almost exactly like you."

"Mm…" she lowered her gaze to the girl in her arms. There was a thick and heavy silence around them, penetrated only by the sound of skin slapping against skin and occasional effort-filled grunts from the fight behind them. Hinata opened her mouth but Haku screamed and she whirled around to see what had happened. Haku had been slammed against a nearby tree, spittle sprayed from his mouth as he choked on the scream that had come out. Neji held a kunai in one hand, looking down at it as if he were debating something. Then, he flung it point blank at Haku's body.

Sasuke blinked, trying to piece together what had just suddenly happened. Hana lay once again in his arms and Hinata was gone; she was in front of Haku, between him and his uncle. The black kunai protruded from her forearm, blood already seeping out and staining the sleeve of her training outfit.

"M-Mommy!" Haku screeched.

"Hinata!" Neji looked shocked and a little confused. Then angry. "What are you doing?"

"Not like this," she shook her head, lifting her eyes defiantly to her cousin's. "We'll train him, but not like this. This is the method used to train someone already adept in physical combat, not a beginner. You should know the difference, Neji!"

"This is the fastest way to train him in—" Neji protested.

"He doesn't need to learn everything in one day!" she yelled back, standing up straight and yanking the kunai from her arm. Its blood-covered tip dripped red onto the green grass, standing out vividly in the dying daylight. She threw it aside and turned to her child, smiling down at him lovingly. "Are you alright, honey? Do you need help to stand up?"

"Your…your arm!" he whimpered, fat, hot tears sprang into his eyes. "Mommy, your arm is bleeding!"

"It doesn't hurt too much," she shook her head, smiling at him. "I'm okay. Here," she extended her uninjured hand, "let me help you up." Snot and tears dripping from his round red face, Haku took his mother's offered hand and pulled himself to his feet. Hinata smiled at him and then turned her face to Neji, her look stern but forgiving. "Neji, we'll continue this on Friday, okay? I'll make up a new training routine that's more suited to Haku's strengths."

"It's his weaknesses that we need to fix, not his strengths," Neji reminded her, looking away from her direct stare.

"Yes, I know," she nodded. "But if we target all his weaknesses at once, he'll be defeated instantly. And you can't train anyone if they don't have the confidence needed to learn." She walked past him, toward the house, one arm around Haku's shaking shoulders. Her head turned to look at the other two standing by the porch.

"Sasuke, take Hana to the bathroom. I'll clean her up and get her into bed while you feed Haku some dinner, okay? Since his nerves are a little shaken, serve him the chicken soup that's in the refrigerator. And Sakura? I can't quite perform healing jitsus on myself yet, so could you do me a favor and patch me up?"

"Ah…sure," Sakura blinked and came forward. "I should do it, you know, before you give Hana her bath…"

"That's fine, then. Neji, come inside and eat something. We're done for today," she said and led Haku inside. The three of them stood outside for another minute or so, taking in what had just happened. Sasuke was the first to move—he carried his daughter inside the house to do as his wife said. Sakura followed after him, but Neji's slightly shaky voice stopped her.

"I just…wanted to help," he said.

"You are helping," Sakura smiled at him. "You're a great uncle to those kids, Neji. But you just forgot that Haku's more like his mother, and regular training methods won't work well with him. That's all."

"Is that really all?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I think it is," she nodded back. "You got so caught up in helping, that your help just did some harm rather than good. But you can make up for it on Friday, right?"

"…Right." he agreed after a moment.

"I'm going to fix up Hinata's arm. You should come in too, for some dinner."

"I'll be there shortly."

"Okay, Neji." She started inside again, but stopped and turned back once more. "If it helps you any, I'm worried about the kids too. And so is Sasuke."

"Hn," Neji wrinkled his nose. "Of couse Sasuke would be worried. They're his kids. I'd be afraid if he _didn't_ worry about them."

"You're right," Sakura smiled at him and left him on the back porch. After a moment, he sighed and ran his long fingers through his dark hair, then stepped up and into the house.


	23. Autumn, 6

**Notes: **I'm back! WOW, that was a long absence. Sorry! I got onto a really, really big Disgaea and Kingdom Hearts II kick (I love Roxaaaaaaaas). But I'm back! Be aware that this chapter will be a little strange, because I wrote half of it before my temporary hiatus, and half of it yesterday. XD

* * *

_**6**_

One of his cold hands pushed up the black shirt and caressed one hardened nipple, evicting a startled yelp from the blond and making the dark-haired Anbu smirk.

"Sa-Sasuke!"

Riding up the cloth, the Uchiha lowered his lips from Naruto's quivering ones and latched them onto his chest, slipping the flat of his tongue across the smooth, light-skinned muscles and chuckling as his partner's protests fell to stuttering moans.

"Don't talk," he said. "Just enjoy it."

Uzumaki Naruto flinched at the rush of hot breath that glided across his wet skin. He tried feebly to push the other man off with his hands but they fell uselessly into his thick, silken hair and onto his bare, scarred shoulders. Naruto let his hands settle there as Sasuke's tongue danced across his torso and let himself be taken, his usually sharp blue eyes unfocusing. _Scars…_ He traced the ghost markings unconsciously, making Sasuke shiver pleasurably but not really noticing. _I caused some of these. Some of my decisions cause Sasuke to get these. My decisions don't just affect me and my teammates anymore…they affect an entire nation._

An entire nation. The Lightning Nation was falling apart because their leader simply refused to heed the masses. The Sand Nation had almost fallen into chaos because their leader had extended a hand of friendship to an enemy. So powerful, was the influence of a _kage_. How scary. He began to shiver with the thought of it and Sasuke's arms came around his body and held him tight. His embrace was surprisingly warm, which the blond found slightly surprising. But he had to give Sasuke credit—he'd made huge changes to himself ever since the marriage and the children. _I've made changes too, haven't I?_ he wondered.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Sasuke asked him. The blond looked up into his lover's face and actually tried to seek the answers there. Sasuke's eyes were concerned (and still hazed over with a little bit of lust) as he gazed back, a puzzled frown marring his usually calm face. Naruto's anxiety welled up inside of him, like a bubble of worry and indecision that was threatening to explode at any minute. He willed himself not to cry, he couldn't cry, not in front of Sasuke… _If I can't cry in front of him, who can I trust?_

"I… Sasuke, I…" he gulped, trying to force it out. He tried to tell him, he really did try, but the words got lost from his brain to his lips and the tears were getting bigger and burning and dangling from his eyelashes, blurring his vision, heating his cheeks and neck. He opted instead to simply tighten his arms around the other man's shoulders and bury his hot face into the curve of his cool neck, his own shoulders shaking up and down. He felt Sasuke's confusion and wished he could clear it up with an explanation, but nothing would come and he felt so terrible. He fought hard with his tears, but when the first ones did fall, Sasuke didn't criticize him or pull away in disgust, but simply held him tighter and began stroking his hair back from his wet face with one gentle hand.

"It's okay," he whispered against Naruto's ear. "Shh, it's okay." He said this over and over again, despite being naked from the waist up, despite what had been interrupted by Naruto's wandering thoughts, despite the moment of absolute weakness. The kindness made the blond cry harder.

* * *

When his fit had subsided, Naruto lay quietly in Sasuke's arms, his eyelids halfway closed. Sasuke held the other man, looking like he wanted to ask about what had happened but not wanting to bring it up if it would make the blond uncomfortable. So, he waited.

"I…want to help the Raikage," Naruto said.

"Mm," Sasuke made a non-committal noise.

"I was thinking…of going myself."

"Why you?" he asked, not angry or exasperated, just curious.

"I don't…want to put anyone else in danger," he said.

"Who will run the country while you're gone?"

"Tsunande baa-chan, most likely."

"Mm," he made the same reserved sound.

"Sasuke…?"

"Hm?" he idly ran a few fingers through the blond strands atop the man's head.

"…if I asked you to come…"

"I already told you before, Naruto," he didn't let the other man finish. "I'm going to be with you for as long as I live. I'm going to protect you, and the country that you love so much." He kissed the top of the blonde's head. "Even if all the nations turn on us and we stand alone in an onslaught of hatred, I will always stand by you."

"When did you get to be so eloquent?" Naruto blushed and buried his face against the raven-haired man's smooth bare chest.

"When did you learn to use a word like 'eloquent'?" Sasuke grinned and planted another affectionate kiss on his blond hair.

"Shut up," he blushed harder, tightening his hug.

They remained silent for a few moments, each of them contemplating what had just passed between them.

"When?" Sasuke finally asked.

"After the Chunin Exams," Naruto replied as if he had made this decision months ago. Sasuke nodded. Naruto thought for a moment: "What about Hana and Haku?" he frowned.

"I've discussed this with them before," he shook his head. "They know I go out on dangerous missions."

"…What if something happens?" the blond squirmed uncomfortably. "How could I face them if…?"

"Naruto," he sighed, "don't be ridiculous."

"Sasuke," the blond frowned. "You're not invincible."

The Anbu looked down at the Hokage, a slightly condescending look twisting his lips into a proud sneer. "What are you talking about?" he said in a haughty voice that suddenly flung Naruto back into the past—where he was twelve and Sasuke was twelve kinds of bastard—"I _am_ invincible, _dobe_," he scoffed, flicking his hair out of his narrow eyes arrogantly. Naruto stared in amazement at his companion, then started laughing.

* * *

When he slid the door open he was greeted by a surprising sight. His young daughter, Hana, lay curled up in her bed sheets on the entrance step, asleep. Kicking off his shoes quietly, he crouched down and slid his arms beneath her tiny form, lifting her up against him sheets and all. She stirred, wrinkled her face up in the most adorable manner (it made Sasuke's heart swell) and slowly opened her eyes.

"Mm…mie, wanna wait for da…" she yawned hugely and snuggled deeper into his chest, closing her eyes again. He wasn't aware of it, but Sasuke's face broke out into a radiant smile, directed down tenderly at his sleeping daughter. It was the first admiring stare he had ever given anyone since his childhood and his brother, Itachi. No one was there to witness it, but in her sleep, Hana smiled back at him.

* * *

No sooner had Uzumaki Naruto fallen asleep than he was awake again, sweating and shaking and clutching at the bed sheets as if he had been having a nightmare but he couldn't recall what it was. He looked around his room blearily, trying to summon it to mind; had it had something to do with the past? The _kyuubi_? No, the only thing he could remember was the feel of Sasuke's warm and comforting arms around him, his soothing voice and gentle fingers assuring him that everything would be fine, just fine.

…_fingers, dripping with dark crimson blood, trembled, reached for his cheek…_

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and his bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor.

…_his feet were planted in the dirt, he couldn't move, couldn't run, couldn't stop it…_

Stop what? What had that dream (_nightmare_) been about? It was unsettling for some reason, even though Naruto never really dwelt on dreams he couldn't remember. It gnawed at him as he showered and dressed, as he locked the door to his apartment and headed for the square. _What was it that I dreamt? Did it have to do with—?_

"Good morning, Hokage-sama!"

"Ah," he looked down at the four children swarming him. "Good morning," he smiled.

"Is it true that Hana-chan and Haku-chan fought two genin?" a small, short brown-haired girl peered up at him with her school books clutched to her chest.

"I heard that Hokage-sama protected them from a lightning jitsu!" a wild black-haired boy that reminded him strongly of Inuzuka Kiba at that age waved his arms excitedly over his head.

"Really, Hokage-sama?" the third—another girl with a sky blue braid—gave him large eyes of admiration. "I wish I could be protected by Hokage-sama like that!"

"What are you talking about, Yuri-chan?" the last girl (curly red hair and freckles) "The Hokage-sama _does_ protect us! He's so powerful, he even protects other _kages_!"

"Now, now," Naruto laughed and tried to urge them to calm down, smiling nervously. "That's not quite…"

"The Hokage will _always_ protect the village!" the only boy—the Kiba look-alike—rolled his eyes. "That's his _job_!"

"Nuh-uh!" the red-head leapt to counter him vehemently. "The Hokage does it because he's made of _awesome_!"

Naruto took a mental step back. _Made of awesome?_ His lips curled in amusement.

"You are _so_ awesome, Hokage-sama!" the blue-haired girl affirmed with a shy nod.

"And you're powerful too!" the boy agreed.

"And so kind," the brown-haired girl with the books nodded.

"And totally handsome!" the red-head flashed him a cheeky grin.

Naruto could only blink at the children as they waved at him and ran toward the school, still chattering. He waved back, both amused and preoccupied. _Made of awesome, huh? _The smile stayed as he walked into the shade of the Hokage's Tower, the nightmare from earlier completely forgotten in the onslaught of thoughts the children had stirred within him.

* * *

He stuck his head inside the room and glanced around. Something quivered beneath the covers. He padded across the room—pre-dawn bars of light striped across the wood panel floor—and pulled back the comforter. Her little black head burrowed deeper into the darkness of the sheets and after half a moment of consideration, he climbed into the bed with her. He pulled the sheets over his head and immersed himself in her darkness, one of his little hands searching for her. He felt her hot, wet cheek and then she cringed away. He curled in deeper, reaching for her.

"Hana," he whispered to her. "What's wrong, Hana?"

She mumbled something in a tear-choked whimper that sounded like 'it's nothing', but he knew it wasn't nothing because her pure terror had woken him from his own slumber and summoned him here. He finally found her fragile, shaking shoulders and pulled her into him, inhaling her sweat, kissing her damp scalp.

"What did you dream of, Hana?" he asked, already knowing it had been a nightmare, just as she had known he'd had the nightmare about the blond woman with the bright eyes. She couldn't voice it, though. He waited, sending soothing vibes into her through him, trying to calm her enough to talk. She fought with a few sniffles, and then…

"I dreamt…" she took in a deep, shuddering breath, "…that Daddy died."


	24. Autumn, 7

_**7**_

Umino Iruka glanced at the two empty seats and frowned slightly. The Uchiha twins had an impeccable attendance record (at least Haku did anyway, and even Hana attended morning classes before she decided to go on an 'outing'). Their parents hadn't called; he knew his former student Hyuuga Hinata was very adamant about their schooling—they were the youngest children to enter the academy in some years now. Just when he made up his mind to call their house during the afternoon's lunch break, the classroom door slid open. Uchiha Haku peeked his small head into the room, glancing this way and that. He ignored the turned heads and stares of his classmates and locked eyes with Iruka. Then he walked into the room with his sister Hana following quietly in tow. The silence of the usually bouncy and energetic girl confounded him.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei," Haku and Hana chimed in unison, bowing their heads respectively. He expected this from Haku, but Hana? Being a teacher for so many years, Iruka felt something tugging at his suspicion. He dismissed it however, because he knew their parents were very school-oriented, and he knew that Haku was responsible enough to reel his sister in long enough to attend classes. The young boy spoke for the both of them: "Hana woke up sick this morning. I convinced her to come to school. We're sorry we're late." Hana nodded her agreement, and Iruka felt relieved. _That explains it._ But still, something nagged at the back of his mind as the two children ascended the auditorium-style stairs to their seats near the back of the classroom.

* * *

"Are you kids lost?" a voice stopped them halfway down the hall. Holding hands, Haku and Hana simultaneously turned around to face the speaker, wincing slightly. Konohamaru held a stack of papers in both arms, looking puzzled. "Hana-chan, Haku-chan, what are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"We…have a message for Uncle Naruto from Daddy," Haku spoke stiffly, tightening his grip on his sister's hand.

"And he sent you two?" the older boy shook his head. "I doubt that. Sasuke would have walked it over himself." Haku blushed crimson, ducking his head in shame. Hana looked lost, where she would have normally jumped to Haku's defense. Konohamaru studied the two children (whom, he thought, were acting abnormally). He knelt beside them, glancing around—the hall was empty. "Do you really need to see Naruto?" he asked them. Surprised, they both nodded. Konohamaru nodded too and stood up, hefting his papers and gesturing for them to continue down the hall. They blinked up at him, then scurried up the red carpet floor and around the corner, leaving him behind.

"I'm sorry," Haku breathed as they raced up the tower steps, "I'm such a bad liar."

"I'm sorry," Hana shook her head as they entered the hallway and continued running, "that you had to lie for me."

* * *

When they got to the large embossed double doors, Haku pressed his ear cautiously to it. No voices. Hana nodded and they both pushed the doors open, walking inside the sunlit office.

"I told you," Uzumaki Naruto sighed and spun his rolling chair around from facing the glaring window, "to knock before you enter." When he didn't see anyone by the door, he blinked and glanced around the office. Then he jumped when tiny arms encircled his waist and looked down. "Hana! Haku!"

"We're sorry we're bothering you, Uncle Naruto," Haku pouted, looking up with tear-filled white eyes. "But Hana needs to ask you something."

"Uncle Naruto," Hana stared up with an identical sorrow-filled stare, with black eyes instead of white. "Tell us: are you sending Daddy on another dangerous mission?"

Naruto felt as if they had both slapped him. Hard. For a moment, he couldn't breathe as he stared in dazed wonder at the twins. Then, he placed a hand on each of their backs and tightened his lips, trying to choose his words carefully. "Your daddy and I…" he sighed, "the two of us will be going on a very important mission soon, yes."

"No!" Hana abruptly exploded, rage replacing her sadness instantaneously. "No, you can't! He's not going!"

"Hana," her brother slipped his arms from Naruto's waist and embraced his sister. "You promised you wouldn't yell at Uncle—"

"He's not going!" she repeated, a flash of red burning within her fierce eyes. "You won't take him away!"

"We'll be back as soon as we're done…" Naruto sat in his chair, struck dumb by the young girl's wild anger. "It's a simple escort mission—"

"He'll die if you send him!" she wailed, her fingernails clawing at his white overcoat. "Don't you get it? He'll die!"

_He'll die._

_His fingers trembled and rose into view, covered and dripping in dark crimson blood. The same vivid color dribbled from his mouth and into his eyes from his darkened hair._

"_Sasuke…"_

"No…" Naruto shuddered violently, shaking the image quickly from his mind. "No, Hana, it'll be okay," he spoke in a slightly quavering voice, not realizing he did so.

"Hana had a nightmare," Haku tried to explain for her.

"I dreamt that it was snowing and Daddy was sitting up against a tree, holding his stomach," she spoke faster, her words rushing out of her like she wanted to throw them away. "He had blood all over him and there was blood on the snow and two people were running away from him." She stared at him pointedly. "They were both blond."

Naruto's stomach clenched unpleasantly. He swallowed past a huge knot in his throat as the image Hana had described rose clearly in his mind, like an imprinted photograph.

* * *

"_Hurry…"_

"_Sasuke!"_

"_You don't have much time…"_

"_No!"_

"_Go… Run!"_

"_I'm not leaving you!"_

* * *

And then the fingers, the blood-covered fingers. They were fragments from his nightmare, he was certain of it. So if she was describing his nightmare, did she have the exact same one? Did they both have the nightmare about Sasuke dying? _Is that what I dreamt?_

"I would never," he frowned at the children, "_ever_ leave your father to die like that. Do you understand me?" Haku looked ashamed and Hana torn. "He means too much to me—to _you_." He thought for a moment. "I want to tell you guys a story. Do you want to hear it?"

Hana looked cynical—the look was so identical to the one Sasuke had given him the night before that their faces overlapped in his mind for a moment. "You're just trying to change the subject," she wrinkled her nose distastefully.

"Not really," Naruto shrugged. "The story has to do with your father."

"Does it have to do about him dying?" she snapped.

"Hana…" Haku wailed.

"It'll explain how serious I am about him _not_ dying," he answered her.

Haku was tugging on his sister's arm. "Hana, please! Let's listen to Uncle Naruto's story."

"I don't care about your story," she crossed her arms over her chest. "I care about Daddy. That's all."

"Should I tell you that it begins with your father dying a very long time ago?"

The twins faltered. Haku's eyebrows narrowed and Hana's face softened.

"Daddy died…before?" she looked confused.

"When he awoke his Sharingan, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Naruto said, his voice grave and his eyes unfocused, looking back on the past. "Do you want to hear the story?" The twins both nodded in unison.

* * *

So he told them everything. He told them of their father's past: Itachi, the slaughter, Sasuke's life-long goal. Their meeting, their team, their rivalry, and their first big mission in the Wave Country. He introduced them to Haku and Zabuza and Tazuna and Inari. He explained how their father "died" protecting him after activating his Sharingan eye. He went on to Gaara, the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunande, and the fight at the Valley of the End. He explained that he disappeared for three years to severely train himself in an attempt to catch up to Sasuke. Their hunt, the mission, the first meeting, and everything after that until the final fight and how he and Sakura finally brought Uchiha Sasuke home. He talked through bouts of laughter, tears, and nausea and left nothing out. The children had migrated onto the couch for his tale, and at its end, they were both in tears. When Naruto finally finished talking, Hana wailed loudly and threw herself at him again.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Naruto! I'm sorry I didn't believe you! I'm sorry I said such mean and nasty things! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she sobbed into his chest.

"I know you didn't mean it, Hana, so it's okay," he stroked her hair back out of her red face and grinned down at her. "Now you understand that I love your daddy too." She nodded against him and clung on tighter.

Haku remained on the couch. "So that's what really happened," he murmured, looking down at his hands thoughtfully. "No wonder Daddy never told us anything. He didn't want us to know how painful our family's history was."

"Don't be mad at him for that," Naruto looked over from comforting the female twin. "I'm not sure I should have told you all of that, but I want you two to understand what your father and I went through together, so you can believe me when I say I won't let anything happen to him."

"I believe in you, Uncle Naruto," he nodded, almost dismissively. "I understand why Daddy did what he did, too. Because he loves us, right?"

"Right," Naruto nodded.

"And if he loves us, and he loves you, and he loves Aunt Sakura, and he loves Mommy…" he counted on his fingers, "then he won't die very easily, because he has a lot of people waiting for him."

"Exactly," the blond gave another nod.

"I don't want Daddy to die," Hana whimpered into his clothing.

"I won't let him die," Naruto turned her face up to his. "I promise you. I _swear_ to you, on my _life_, I'll never let him die."

"We don't want you to die either, Uncle Naruto," Haku spoke up from the couch. "Please, you need to be careful too." Against him, Hana nodded her head.

"I'll be fine," he grinned lightly. "Don't you worry about me. Just concern yourself with your training and your Daddy and I will worry about everything else. And speaking of that," he rubbed Hana's back and attempted to change the subject, "how is your training going?"

Before they could answer his question though, a bell rang outside. Naruto pivoted in his chair, holding Hana as he did so, and glanced out of the large window. The sun had changed its position since the twins had arrived in his office, and he could see a flood of children exiting the academy building. It clicked in his head.

"Weren't you two supposed to be in school?" he turned back around to lift an eyebrow at Haku. The young boy averted his gaze and slid off the couch, coming around the desk and reaching for his sister.

"Come on, Hana. We have to go before Mommy gets suspicious," he said.

"You _skipped_?" he asked in amazement. Hana, he knew, did skip on occasion but _Haku_? "Aren't you worried that Iruka-sensei will call your parents?"

"No," he answered simply and wiped the tears from his sister's eyes. "Here," he told her gently, "your hair's all messy."

"Where are we meeting them?" she sniffled, fighting with her kick of black spikes.

"Meeting who?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Our kagebunshin," Haku explained.

Naruto blinked. "Kagebunshin?"

"They have our homework," Hana grinned weakly.

"Homework?" he felt stupid. Then it clicked again. "Wait, you sent _kagebunshin_ to school in your place?"

"Yes," Haku nodded.

"It was Haku's idea," Hana said proudly.

"Hana wanted to come see you privately," Haku elaborated.

He was amazed. "_Kagebunshin_," he repeated, his lips twitching in amusement. "You guys are learning too much from me."

"Don't tell, please," Haku's brow winkled.

"We just wanted to talk to you about Daddy," Hana looked at him pleadingly.

"I know, I know," he nodded his head, grinning at them, "it was a really important talk, after all." The twins nodded earnestly, reaching for each other's hands. "I won't tell anyone, I promise," Naruto agreed and then rose from his chair, leading them across the room to a small side door concealed by a gathering of bunched curtain (usually used to shut out the light and the view of the long glass window behind his desk). He pulled it open, stuck his head inside, glanced about the room on the other side, and straightened, looking down at the kids. "This door leads to a room that I use to rest when I can't leave the office. It has a staircase that leads directly down to the first floor, in case of an emergency. Use that, and make sure Nara doesn't see you on your way out."

"Got it," Hana affirmed.

"Thank you, Uncle Naruto," Haku bowed.

"Shoo, shoo!" he ruffled their twin heads of hair and smiled at them affectionately. "I'll come over later today, okay?"

"Okay!" they twin-chimed and set off on their escape from the tower. Naruto closed the door behind them and went over to the main door, sticking his head out.

"Oi! Konohamaru!" he yelled.

"Yes?" the younger man called back, approaching from his left.

"Go get me Shikamaru," Naruto ordered.

Konohamaru blinked. "Nara? What for?"

"Just," Naruto flailed a little, "go get him for me!"

"Okay, okay," the other man blinked at the display from the hokage. "I'll get him. Calm down."

"And hurry!" Naruto watched him until his assistant disappeared down the stairs.


	25. Autumn, 8

**Notes: **Woo! I live! XD I'm really, truly sorry guys. The story was on hold so long for many personal reasons that decided to all come up and bite me in the ass simultaneously. I had to re-read both _**Different Seasons **_and this one in order to re-immerse myself in the Naruto world. Still, it wasn't until I got a reader comment from _**Romi Leigh**_ that I really buckled down and got to writing again. Romi, you expressed your concerns with the previous two chapters, and I'm sorry that they knocked the story out of sync for you. I didn't quite know how to incorporate the reason for Haku's visions and Hana's identical dream in-story, but I hope I can clarify it here in the notes:

Haku's Byakugan has Sharingan influence. He can see things that are happening currently from the events around him. To clarify, because everyone was so concerned with the Raikage, Haku's subconscious made him "see" what was happening to her at the moment. That's why he kept having the "dreams" or visions of her being chased.

Hana's Sharingan has Byakugan influence. She can see current happenings internally. Meaning, when the children found out about the dangerous mission, Hana's subconscious became more receptive to thoughts and feelings concerning her father. So when Naruto had the nightmare about Sasuke dying, her mind felt it and "relayed" the dream to her, causing her to see it. However, she thought it was a premonition dream, like she assumed Haku's was, and made a wrongful accusation.

I hope this note has clarifyed the iffy parts of the story, concerning the "visions" and the children's eyes. I'll try harder to finish this story for you all. ^_^ Thank you for your continued patience.

* * *

_**8**_

The floorboards outside the room creaked. Haku's little hand froze, making a slight splotch on the tiny paper. Beside him under the coverlet, Hana held her breath, the pale yellow-orange light from the lantern she held illuminated her face with a sickly glow. They waited. After tense seconds they simultaneously relaxed.

"It was the house," Hana muttered.

"I'm almost done," Haku nodded, continuing his ink-dipped brush along the interrupted stroke, completing the kanji. "Just a few more characters."

"...Do you think it'll work?" she asked him nervoulsy.

"It's not like you to doubt, Hana," he said to her tenderly as he concentrated, feeling his sister's anxiety building with each ticking minute of the bedside clock.

"I don't doubt _you_, Haku," she shook her head. "But... I mean... We're only going to be seven. _Seven_. What can we do on a battlefield?"

"We have to try," he shook his head, licking his lips as he worked on the final stroke. "We can't just do nothing, and let Daddy die."

"I know..." she tried to voice her argument but found she didn't really have one. Just insecurity. Instead of interrupting her brother again, she bit her lip and swallowed her doubts as best as she could. She watched hard as he finally finished the drawing.

"There," he breathed, setting the pen down on an inky scrap of paper. He held up the tiny scroll to inspect it. "I think all we need now is our blood."

"Where?" Hana inched even closer, grabbing the kunai she had taken from their father's room earlier.

"You, here," he pointed below the first drawing, "and me, here." He gestured for the kunai. She gave it to him. He inhaled sharply through his nose and then pierced the pad of his right thumb with the razor sharp point of the weapon. He didn't cry out, but he did flinch hard and hurriedly pressed his thumb down onto the small scroll where tiny lettering indicated. He pulled it away and stuck it in his mouth, putting the kunai down and reaching for the lamp. Hana didn't hesitate. She passed him the lamp, picked up the kunai, and made a small slash on the pad of her left thumb. She pressed it beneath the drawing he'd indiacted and then withdrew her hand, absentmindedly wiping the kunai's tip on her bedshirt.

"Done," she sighed. Haku passed her back the lamp and began to roll up the scroll, having to remove his thumb from his mouth to get it the perfect size. Hana was already waiting with the necklace. He slipped the miniscule paper inside the cylinder and she capped it, screwing it securely shut. Haku gave a heavy sigh, looking drained.

"That's all we can do," he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I wish I could come up with more."

"This is enough," she patted his head and smiled at him. He smiled back tiredly. "Let's get sleep, or else we'll miss Daddy leaving."

"Yeah," he nodded, taking the kunai and sliding it under his pillow. "Goodnight, Hana."

"Goodnight, Haku," she kissed his forehead and wiggled out from under the blankets, taking the lantern with her and leaving Haku alone in blackness. He heard her footsteps disappear into her room and removed the coverlet from over his head, pulling out the still-wet brush and ink bottle. He put both on the floor and slid them under his bed, then turned onto his side, pulled the covers up to his waist, and tried to sleep.

* * *

"Weird," the other man grunted.

"What is?" Uzumaki Naruto looked up from his seat on the edge of the bed.

"I think I'm missing a kunai," Uchiha Sasuke's forehead creased slightly. "I thought I packed thriteen."

"Isn't that an unlucky number?"

"Whatever, I'm still missing one," he frowned.

"Oh, who cares, Sasuke?" Naruto stood and stretched, his back popping satisfyingly. "This is like, the fifth time you go through your stuff. Enough already!"

"Unlike you," Sasuke wrinkled his nose, "I always like being prepared."

Naruto sighed. "Okay, Sasuke, okay. You can borrow one of mine, how's that?"

"Not the point," Sasuke shook his head and Naruto made a frustrated sound in his throat.

"Fine. Look for your dumb kunai. I'm going to the office to wrap up any last minute details," he strode to his closet and pulled out a clean jounin uniform, then went into the bathroom to shower and change. Sasuke had come to Naruto's apartment early that morning to make sure the blond had everything he should, seeing as this would be the _dobe's_ first mission in quite some time. He was right in thinking he should have shown; the hokage had filled half his pack with instant ramen cups. The idiot.

"Where is my damn kunai?" Sasuke scowled at the empty room.

* * *

"Thanks, Shikamaru," Naruto grinned at his old friend.

"No problem," Nara Shikamaru waved off the hokage's words. "Just be careful, huh?"

"You know I always am!" Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, I stress 'careful'," Shikamaru muttered so Naruto couldn't hear him. It didn't matter, the blonde was rummaging in one of his desk drawers.

"Hey, Shikamaru?" he called.

"Nn?"

"Here," Naruto tossed him a scroll. He lifted one hand and caught it with ease. It had the Hokage's Official Seal stamped on the top.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Instructions."

"Instructions for...?"

"Nara," Naruto spoke to him, not in the casual manner of two friends talking but in the commanding voice of the Sixth Hokage, "that is your next mission."

"Mission, sir?" Shikamaru lifted himself slightly, instantly noticing the change in the blonde's demeanor.

"If, by some chance, I don't return to Konoha--"

"Sir--"

"Nara, I'm giving you your commands," the Rokudaime raised an unamused eyebrow. Shikamaru stopped protesting, but already knew what was going to be said next. "If for some unforseen reason I don't return to Konoha, your mission is to open that scroll and follow its content to the letter, is that understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he bowed slightly. "What do I do with it if you do return?"

"Burn it," Naruto said flatly. "Destroy it. If I come back then that scroll has no purpose."

"Understood, sir," Shikamaru held the scroll tighter. He knew almost exactly what was in it.

"Dismissed," Naruto turned away, to the large full-length pictureglass window behind his desk. Shikamaru turned to leave. "Shikamaru..." The authorative tone had left him, and now Uzumaki Naruto sounded high-strung and a little nervous. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Nara Shikamaru gave a rare grin. "See you when you get back."

* * *

The impatient knock came again. His sister finally answered it. After a few moments and muttered voices (he heard the voice influctions and knew the visitor was male), she called to him: "Kiba! You have a visitor!"

A visitor? Only Shino came to visit him here, and only when the other man had absolutely nothing better to do. It annoyed him that he had to be someone else's entertainment. Grunting, leaving Akamaru where he lay sleeping on the sun-soaked back porch, Inuzuka Kiba shuffled through his house and came to the foyer, where his guest was swapping shoes for house slippers. Their eyes met.

"You!" Kiba growled.

"Yes," Uchiha Sasuke grinned humorlessly. "Me."

* * *

Hyuuga Neji fidgeted. Hinata stared strangely at her cousin. Neji did not _fidget_. It just wasn't what he did. So, instead of prying and making him feel even more uncomfortable than he seemed to be, Hinata simply played a good hostess and served him more tea, even though he hadn't touched the first cup she'd given him. Handing him the steaming ceramic cup, she smiled at him. Neji's forehead creased.

"Hinata..." he tried.

"Yes?" she prompted simply.

"...Have you considdered the possibility..." He stopped, shaking his head.

"Go on, Neji," she encouraged.

He took a deep breath and gripped his cup almost like a weapon. He leaned toward her, looking over his shoudler for--she assumed--the children. They were sleeping in late today. "Have you considdered the possibility that Sasuke-san might...not..."

"Come back?" she finished for him. He nodded. "Yes, of course."

"You don't seem upset by this," he frowned at her.

"Should I be?" she shrugged.

"Normally, a wife should be concerned for her husband, yes," he looked a little confused.

Hinata sipped her tea slowly, considdering her answer. "Well," she lowered the cup from her lips, "it's not like this is his first dangerous mission. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't care if he lived or died. However," she set the cup on the table and laced her hands gently in her lap, "I'm not worried."

"Can I ask why?" Neji seemed slightly confused.

Hinata smiled. "Because Sasuke has things to live for now," she answered. "Precious things that he must protect with everything he has. He promised he would come back to his family, and I believe him."

* * *

"Why are you here?" Kiba snarled. Beside him, Akamaru growled in distaste. Sasuke opted to stand for their meeting in case he had to make a run for it.

"I want to talk to you about Hinata," he offered.

"What about her?" Kiba eyed him warily.

"Kiba, you already know what kind of mision I'm going on," Sasuke explained. "I might not come back alive. And I can't leave Hinata and the children alone. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I guess," Kiba relaxed a little, shoving his hands in his pockets. Akamaru instantly quieted. Sasuke took a second to marvel at the bond between human and animal. "What does your dying have to do with me?"

"If I do die, Kiba," Sasuke sighed, "I want you to marry Hinata."

"WHAT!" Kiba nearly shrieked.

"Shh," Sasuke frowned. "Why are you so loud?"

"You bastard!" the other man growled deeply in his throat. Akamaru tensed and growled instantly. "You think you can just come to my house and _tell_ me that after you _stole_ her!"

"Look, Kiba," Sasuke held up his hands in self-defense. "I didn't say I was right in doing what I did. But it's done and I'm sorry I didn't take your feelings into account earlier. But--" His eyes narrowed a bit. "--I want better for her now. If I die, I want to know she and the children will be taken care of. I want to know that someone will love her and support her. I want to die knowing that my family will be in good hands."

Kiba stopped and shook his head, looking angry but also slightly resigned. "If you care about her so much, then don't die," he spat.

"I'll try not to," he smiled thinly. "But, Kiba, please..."

It was the _'please'_ that finally sold him. He placed a hand on Akamaru's head, calming his friend. "Yeah, yeah, Uchiha. I'll look after them, okay? Are you happy now, you selfish bastard?"

"Yes," Uchiha nodded and turned to leave. "I'll let myself out so you won't have to bother with me anymore."

"_Che_," Kiba wrinkled his nose. "Good. Get out of here."

Sasuke reached the door leading back into the main house. He opened it and paused. "Kiba..."

"What?" the other man sighed in impatience.

"...Thank you," he said, "and I'm sorry." He left.

* * *

"Baa-chan, I can't thank you enough," Naruto sighed.

"Honestly, you brat," she frowned at him, "calling on me only when it's convenient for you."

"I'm sorry," he bowed his head.

"I don't care. Just don't die out there." Her hard eyes flickered softly in concern.

"I won't," he grinned. "I just need you to do one more favor for me."

"More?" she rolled her eyes. "Fine, what?"

"I need you to take care of Sakura."

"Sakura?" she raised a pencilled eyebrow.

"Yes," Naruto nodded. "She almost threw her life away for Sasuke that time..." Naruto's eyes clouded at the painful memories of his past. "I'm afraid to take her with us. What if one of us dies? What's she going to do then?"

"I see your point," she winced

"So, please, Tsunande-sama?" He grinned sheepishly. "Whatever it takes, keep Sakura in this village."

"I'll have an Anbu guard posted on her right away," she nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," he laughed but it sounded very forced. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Uzumaki Naruto," she nodded to him. He waved, turned, and left the office. His flame-edged robe lay over the backrest of the small couch. She stared at it achingly as the pain in her chest tightened. Then she buzzed for an assistant. Konohamaru responded. "Have an Anbu team posted on Haruno Sakura. On the double."

"Tsunade-baachan?" he blinked in confusion. "Where's Naruto?"

"Do it now, Konohamaru, or you'll be held personally responsible if something happens to her."

With a meek and confused nod, he left. Tsunande sighed and rubbed her temples. She was (admittedly) getting too old for this.

* * *

They said their goodbyes at the edge of the Uchiha residence.

"Daddy, this is for you," Hana reached up with both hands. He took the necklace from her palm and inspected it.

"What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"A good luck charm for you," she insisted.

"It will protect you, Daddy," Haku spoke up. "Please, take it."

Still unsure, but not wanting to hurt his children, Sasuke put on the necklace witht the cylindrical charm. It felt oddly heavy.

"Be careful, Sasuke," Hinata placed her hands on the children's shoulders. "Come home safely, please."

"I will," he looked up into her eyes. "I promise, I'll come home as soon as I can."

"Don't die, Daddy!" Hana wailed, tears springing into her eyes. She threw herself against his legs and clutched at him. He stroked her hair back and smiled tenderly.

"I won't die," he said. "I'll be home as quick as I can."

"Be careful, Daddy," Haku attached himself to his father's legs as well. Sasuke chuckled softly and patted their heads, kissed their foreheads, and hugged them tight.

"I'll be careful. And I'll return as fast as I can. I love you." He looked up at his wife. "You be careful too."

"Thank you, but we'll be fine," she shook her head. "Take care."

"Thanks," he stood and reached for her, taking her into a warm embrace. Hinata blushed. She hugged him back. "If I don't come back," he whispered softly to her, "take good care of them."

"I will," she whispered back, squeezing him tight. They parted. Hana and Haku released his legs. He waved to his family. They waved back. He turned his face away so they wouldn't see the few tears that escaped and fell from his eyes and left them standing there.


	26. Winter Tears

_**Winter Tears**_

_**1**_

Tsunande didn't flinch as Haruno Sakura slammed her hands down onto the table, making cracks and dents in the polished wood.

"_Tsunande-sama!_" she screeched. "_How could you!_"

"I did nothing," she responded calmly, her chin resting atop her laced fingers.

"Don't bullshit me!" the other woman growled, her fingers curling into claws with her anger. "They asked you to do it, didn't they?"

Tsunande opened her mouth to deny the accusation, but she felt that lying would only make it worse now. Instead she said: "There was a concern raised about your ability to...cope with certain sacrifices a ninja must sometimes make on the battlefield."

"Stop sugar-coating it!" Sakura yelled, running her arms in a fit across the desk and sending papers and Naruto's collective knick-knacks flying everywhere. Tsunande rose out of her chair swiftly, glaring at the pink haired med nin.

"One more outburst and I will have you placed under arrest, Haruno Sakura!"

"_I don't care!_" Sakura thrust herself over the desk and glared nose to nose with the temporary Hokage. "You've already helped in separating me from them! What's the point? You'll just have one less med nin in your hospital!"

"What good is it to yell at me?" Tsunande scolded, her voice heavy with disapproval over her former student's behavior. "What's done is done now."

"Let me go!" Sakura demanded.

"I can't."

"_Why!_"

"Because I promised Naruto that I wouldn't let you follow them."

Sakura had a brief flicker of conflicting emotions rush through her eyes: Anger at being left behind, pain at not being trusted to handle herself, sadness that she caused so much worry for them, exasperation at the fact that she was _not_a genin anymore, she was a grown woman and could handle whatever was thrown at her...

With Sasuke and Naruto by her side.

"Please, let me go," she begged in a much calmer voice. "Tsunande-sama, _please_, you know they need me!"

"I can't, Sakura," her mentor shook her head heavily, her eyes sad. "I promised that I would keep you in the village."

"No," she deflated. She was losing the argument and she knew it. "Please... Then, if not me, another medical ninja! Send someone else that's not emotionally attached to them! Send _someone!_"

"That would defeat the purpose of two things," Tsunande held up two fingers. "Your safety and the safety of the other villagers." She sighed. "I know what they're doing is practically a suicide mission, but Naruto wanted to go _alone_, in order to spare every other shinobi in the village. Sasuke went with him because one man going in solo would be nothing but a meaningless death. But the two of them together," she gave her successor a slight grin, "if any two shinobi can rescue the Raikage and dissolve the hostile anti-relations faction, it would be them. Right?"

Sakura didn't want to agree. She wanted to send a whole batillion of Anbu to back them up, with her at their center. She wanted to find them and grab them by their necks, shake them, slap them, punch them (something violent to take out her anger on them), and then hug them tight. Her stupid, hard-headed, stubborn, wonderful teammates. Her friends. Her brothers. She covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

"Why did they leave me behind?" she whispered. Tsunande felt her heart breaking for the pink-haired woman, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Because they care about you," she answered kindly. A pair of new hands squeezed her shoulders and Sakura looked up into Mako Naori's round face. Her stylized calico cat mask was pushed up, keeping her orange curls away from her sorrow-filled blue eyes.

"Let's get you home, Haruno-san," she said. Too emotionally confused to be suspicious, Sakura let herself be led away. When she and Naori left the office, Kigeki Haiyu and Chiaki appeared in their place.

"Are you sure about this, Tsunande-sama?" Jun asked the temporary Hokage.

"I can't go against the Rokudaime's wishes," she shook her head. "Just keep track of her, and make sure she doesn't leave the village."

"Hokage-sama," Haiyu lifted his stylized tiger mask to give the older woman a skeptical look, "are you positive you want an entire Anbu _team_on one little med nin? I mean, to be perfectly honest, I think it's a waste of resources."

"Haiyu--!" Jun shoved her wolf mask off to glare at him outright.

"It's alright, Kigeki," Tsunande held up a hand. She looked directly at Haiyu. "Have you ever seen Haruno fight before?"

"No, ma'am," he shook his head.

"Well, she can fight," she assured him humorlessly. "And when she makes up her mind to, she _will_fight her way out of this village. Almost nothing can keep her away from the Raikage and Uchiha." She raised an eyebrow. "When she does, you three will be there to stop her from succeeding. My only word of warning to you is: do _not_ underestimate her."

"All right..." Haiyu did not sound or look convinced. Jun grabbed his arm and towed him out of the office.

"We'll keep an eye on her until the Rokudaime's and Sasuke's return," she assured Tsunande over her shoulder, Haiyu protesting in her grip. The door slammed closed. Tsunande sighed and knelt to collect the scattered papers and things that had succumbed to Sakura's tantrum. Her fingers brushed a picture frame. She lifted it and glanced at the photograph. And stared. Her eyes clouded. Her fingers brushed shakily over the white-haired figure in the photograph. As the tears began to fall, she lifted her face to the row of kage portraits and pinned her gaze on the Fourth.

"Please," she said through numb lips, hugging Jiraiya's picture to her heart, "watch out for them."

* * *

She peeked into Hana's room first. The bed covers were rumpled and half on the floor, leading partway to the door which was ajar. She instinctively moved down the hall to Haku's room and pushed the door fully open. Two little black haired bodies lay tangled together seamlessly beneath the white cover sheet. She tiptoed inside and pulled it down to reveal both her children's sleeping faces. The sudden light made them simultaneously scrunch their noses and turn their faces to the side. She watched their identical, fluid movements in wonder. Haku cracked open one bloodshot white eye to look up at her.

"Mommy..." he mumbled.

"Ugh... Five more minutes..." Hana frowned but did not open her eyes.

"It's past noon, you two," she stated, slight worry in her voice. "Aren't you going to get up? It's Saturday."

"Mm... Not yet," Haku shook his head slightly. "Later."

"You're going to ruin your sleep schedule," she tried to argue.

"I don't wanna get up," Hana wailed, throwing her arm over her eyes dramatically. The movement made Hinata feel a bit better, but she was still worried.

"Why are you guys so tired?" she asked them.

"We...stayed up too late," Haku tried to rub the sleep from his eyes so he could speak coherently.

"Doing what?" she pressed.

"Reading," Haku rolled over (she thought) to avoid her eyes. She wasn't convinced.

"Hana? Were you reading too?"

"Mm-hmm," she mumbled.

_Definitely a lie_, she frowned and activated her Byakugan. Her enhanced eyes scanned over their bodies and picked out their nerve clusters and chakra coils. Totally depleted. _How?_"Are you sure?" she asked them again. Haku shifted to face her again, looking slightly apologetic.

"Don't worry about us, Mommy," he said. "We'll be fine with just a little sleep."

"What happened to you two?" she sat on the bed beside Hana's twisted body. The girl squirmed around so that her back was smoothed against Haku's chest and her arms and head were on her mother's knees. Haku's own arms automatically encirlced her and squeezed.

"Haku and I have been training for the past couple of nights," she explained guiltily. "We didn't want you to worry, but..."

This reason sounded much more plausible than the first... But it still sounded off. Hinata stroked the spiky hair of the closer twin. "Why didn't you just say that? Do you want to train together later?"

"We should really just sleep today, Mommy," Haku spoke up. "We're more drained than usual. With a full day of rest, we should be fine."

Hinata was scrolling through her repertoire of medical conditions, but chakra exhaustion was a very general symptom. She scanned their bodies for tell-tale bruises or cuts from hours of repetitive fighting. There were none. Her suspicion rose again; there was definitely something the children weren't telling her...

* * *

Their footsteps were muffled by the freshly fallen snow. They each hiked up the rise in silence, their breaths pluming out around their heads as they thought their own thoughts and contemplated the difficult mission looming before them. They crested the steep hillside and one of them stopped, the other instantly pausing beside him. The shorter of the two pushed back his hood, revealing a blond tousle of hair and a stylized fox Anbu mask. He was gazing back over their path, down to the now-small village nestled in the wide river valley. It was hugged by a wreath of deep green forest, looking so safe and secure and peaceful. His breathing temporarily paused, the rhythmic breath-cloud betraying him.

"Do you think...this is worth the risk?" he asked his companion. The second figure didn't respond right away. He reached up and tucked a few of the wayward strands of hair the cold wind was tossing around behind one exposed ear. Then his hand cupped the masked face, gloved fingers slipping beneath the mask to stroke the skin beneath it.

"You are worth everything," he said to the first, "and your will is mine. If you want to rescue her, we'll do it. If you want to turn back, I'll go back with you and never speak a word of this again."

"Tell me what I should do." The blonde's hand came up to grasp the other's.

"Follow your heart. You're the one who taught me that... _dobe_."

An inhale, a pause, a heavy exhale. "We could both die," he finally spoke his fear aloud. "_You_ could die."

"I'm invincible, remember?" the hand squeezed firmly, lovingly. "And didn't you say that if I was beside you, you'd be invincible too?"

Pause. "I'm...afraid," the shame was thick in his voice.

"Fearing death is natural."

"I'm afraid of losing you," he specified.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"But..."

"Nowhere," he emphasized, using his free hand to push back his own hood, black spikes flipping out and falling neatly into place. "Believe in me, Naruto."

"I...believe in you," the blond turned his head to avoid the direct stare. "I just... I need to assure myself. I need to keep telling myself that this isn't a mistake, that we'll both come home alive."

"We will," he squeezed their joined hands, touched his other hand to the face beneath the mask again. "I promise you, we'll both come home. With the Raikage."

"Sasuke..."

"I'm right here."

"Let me see your face."

Obediently he reached up and tugged the mask down from his face, letting it hang around his neck. Naruto pushed his own mask up over his face and let it rest atop his head. His hands clutched at Sasuke's.

"Kiss me."

"Are you ordering me, or asking me?"

"Both."

"You don't have to order me to do something I want to do."

"Asking, then."

"Why?"

"I thought you wanted to."

"Tell me why you're asking all of a sudden."

"Please kiss me," Naruto's clouded blue eyes looked almost desperate. "Here, where I'm surrounded by everything I love. Before we walk into almost certain death." He struggled. "I just want...one moment--one kiss--that's not surrounded by secrecy or duty. Where I can just be Naruto and you can just be Sasuke and we can just _be_."

"Don't be scared, Naruto," Sasuke grasped his lover's face tenderly and tilted it up so their gazes locked.

"Kiss me, Sasuke," he pleaded.

They kissed. It was deep and it was long and it was as pure as the curtain of newborn snowflakes that began to descend upon them. Naruto was no longer the Rokudaime Hokage and Sasuke was no longer the elite Anbu Captain of the Uchiha clan. They were simply two people in love, and for that eternal moment, nothing else around or before them mattered.


	27. Winter, 2

**Notes: **I'm really sorry this chapter's so short. This is all just filler, to give you a little more information. Damn you filler!! -shakes fist- Chapter three should be a little more exciting. Sorry. =)

Oh!! And no one ever informed me that I was spelling Tsunade's name incorrectly!! XD Guys! Come on!!

_**

* * *

**_

_**2**_

Uchiha Sasuke paused at the edge of the river, his head lifted attentively and eyes wide as they instantaneously turned red. He scanned the area thoroughly while listening for the noise that had first alerted him, halting his breath and tuning out his heartbeat. A full two minutes passed--that was his limit--and he relaxed again, deactivating the Sharingan. He hefted the swollen canteen so that it wouldn't slosh on his uphill trek and went back to the cave he'd left his partner in.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto felt the first swell of Sasuke's chakra as the other man reached the top of the hill. Another couple of minutes and he was back inside with the water (Naruto had originally gone to get ice chunks so they could melt them over their tiny fire but Sasuke didn't want to wait for dinner that long so he went to gather it from the patches of thin ice near the center of the half-frozen river).

"What took you so long?" he asked. "I thought you were hungry."

"I heard something," he grunted, settling himself down on the cold cave floor beside the blond. He passed the water over to Naruto who poured it into the pre-heated steel pot sitting over the flames and then capped the rest, placing it in the sack beside him.

"What was it?" he asked, feeling around blindly for his small pack of spices. "Stewed or boiled?"

"Whichever," Sasuke shrugged, leaning back on his uncovered hands. His fingertips were cold but he really didn't care. The noise had unsettled him. "It was a rustling, like movement in the underbrush."

"There's snow, there is no underbrush," Naruto gave him a sideways glance.

"I know that, but you asked what it was and I told you," Sasuke frowned. "It was around the riverbank so maybe it wasn't all completely buried in snow yet."

"Wanna eat and run or do you want to risk staying here the night?" the blond had undone the twine around his small parcel and was adding some generous amounts of ground stuff to the slightly-bubbling water. Sasuke's nose twitched: salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic.

"We can spend the night," the raven-haired shinobi shrugged slightly. "We'll take turns on look-out duty. I want to do a perimeter sweep before we turn in though."

"Fair enough," his companion nodded, reaching past his belongings and grabbing the hind leg of the already-skinned rabbit. "I'm going to boil it. I feel like eating something slightly solid, if that's okay."

"I said whatever," Sasuke reiterated.

"Just telling," Naruto wrinkled his nose defensively.

* * *

Haruno Sakura was upset to say the least. She was, by now, nearly a hundred percent sure there were Anbu trailing her. And not just one Anbu, but three of them: a whole team. An orange-haired girl she knew for sure--the one that took her home after her breakdown in the hokage's office. At first she had believed it was a coincidence, her mind playing games with her and making the Anbu uniform more noticeable to her conscious eye. But by the end of the week she knew they were following her, most likely under the Hokage's orders, and she couldn't help but be exasperated by Naruto's thoroughness. She was really about ready to run up to the next one she saw and punch them in the face...but maybe not the orange-haired girl.

She almost tripped over someone in her contemplation. They gave out a cry and fell backward. She shook herself out of it to see little Uchiha Haku rubbing his backside.

"Hey! Watch where you're--! Oh, it's Sakura-san," his sister Hana was beside him, first glaring then looking apprehensive. "Why aren't you watching where you're going?"

"I'm sorry," she smiled apologetically and lowered a hand to the fallen boy. He took it and she pulled him easily to his feet (_He's so light..._) and helped brush him off.

"It's alright, Sakura-san," he shook his head. "I was...distracted."

"Me too," she laughed slightly.

"Is that why you're bumping into people?" Hana frowned. "Are you chakra-tired too?"

"Chakra-tired?" Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion. _Why would these kids be chakra exhausted?_

"We've been training a lot," Haku elaborated, giving his sister a side glance. "To take our mind off things."

"Yeah, that," Hana waved a dismissive hand. "What have you been doing that you're so tired, Sakura-san? Work?"

"I'm not really tired," she shook her head, "just...distracted."

"You mean like thinking?"

"Yeah."

"What are you so preoccupied about, Sakura-san?" Haku asked.

"Duh, Haku," Hana made a face. "She's obviously worried about Daddy and Uncle Naruto."

"Yes," she nodded, "that's part of the reason."

"We're worried too," Haku admitted.

"Yeah, we're not sure if our good luck charm will help or anything," Hana agreed.

"Hana!" her brother hissed.

"What?" she snapped defensively. "I didn't tell her what was in it!"

"In what?" she pressed. She was slowly getting the feeling that the kids had done something they really shouldn't have. Why else would Haku be so hasty to cover Hana's slip-ups?

"A good luck charm we gave Daddy," Haku averted his eyes nervously. "It's hollow. We wrote a note in it for him."

"A note," she repeated, doubt coloring her words.

"Yep!" Hana nodded affirmatively. "It says how much we love him!"

"Oh... Okay, then," she retreated, not entirely convinced that was the exact truth. But Haku seemed to be desperately trying to hide something about this "good luck charm" of theirs. It made her very curious. "Are you guys headed home now?"

"Yeah," Hana wrinkled her nose. "Mommy wants us to go home right away, 'cause she's worried about how we're all chakra-tired."

"That's right," Sakura nodded. "Chakra exhaustion requires plenty of bed rest and nutritious food."

"So, chakra exhaustion can be treated with rest and strict diet?" Haku suddenly perked up in interest.

She blinked._ Why so interested?_ _Is he planning on being chakra exhausted again? _"Well, yes," she answered, "but it's not _healthy._Whenever you do daily tasks and missions, you burn chakra. The more you do, the more you burn, and the longer it takes for you to recover all of your spent chakra." She explained to both of them, hoping it would deter them from whatever it was they were doing. "If your spending rate is faster than your healing rate, you deplete everything you have, and become ill. You can also mentally hurt yourself too," she tapped the side of her head.

"We'll be fine," Hana waved her hand dismissively once again. That made Sakura worry even more.

"Come on, Hana," Haku was tugging on her arm. "Mommy's going to get upset if we're late." He nodded his head up at her. "It was nice talking with you, Sakura-san."

"You too," she ruffled both of their heads. "See you guys later."

They headed for the hill that separated the middle-class district from the former upper-class one, holding hands with their heads tilted toward one another. She watched them walk away, that suspicious feeling creeping into her gut and settling there heavily. The twins had temporarily distracted her from her anger, and now she was worried about four people instead of two... And not one of them trusted her to help. Haruno Sakura suddenly felt like the loneliest person in the world.

* * *

Sasuke watched his companion, his chin propped in his hands. Naruto's eyes were closed in concentration. They had mutually agreed that it was way too cold outside to leave the warmth of the cave, and it would be relatively safer to send a couple of bunshin to scout out the area around their hiding place anyway. Naruto had sent out four of them, and all Sasuke could do was wait. Although he had agreed to it, all this waiting was driving him quietly crazy. When Naruto suddenly fidgeted and opened his eyes, he verbally pounced on the blond.

"Well?"

Naruto gave him a funny look. "Chill out, Sasuke."

"Did you find anything?" he ignored the other man's comment.

"Footprints," he answered. "Headed northeast." He gave Sasuke a slightly confused look. "They're fresh."

"Not yours or mine?"

Now Naruto looked bemused. "I'm not stupid, Sasuke. No, they're not ours."

"Your bunshin's?"

"No!" he said crossly.

"You didn't see anyone?"

"No," he was still annoyed.

Sasuke sighed, ignoring Naruto's impatience with him. "We may have to follow them. Can you remember where they were tomorrow?"

"My bunshin left a marking in a nearby tree," the blond scowled.

"We'll follow their trail," Sasuke nodded his approval. "If it was a scout for the Heaven's Guard, they'll lead us back to something. It'll be someplace to start our search for the Raikage."

"Mm... What if it _was_the Raikage?" Naruto mused.

"Why wouldn't she approach us, then?" Sasuke countered.

"Well, she's been on the run for months now," the blond argued softly. "If I were her, I wouldn't just saunter up to the first unfamiliar uniformed person I saw. I'd want to know who they were and why they were there, for starters."

"Point taken," Sasuke agreed. "But it's still highly unlikely. This close to the Fire Country's border, the rebels must be watching it thoroughly."

"True enough," Naruto nodded. "We'll follow the trail tomorrow."


	28. Winter, 3

**Notes: **Just letting you guys know, I will soon be leaving on a TEMPORARY hiatus. I'll be moving soon, so I'll need time to pack, drive upstate, unpack, and settle in. Don't worry, I'm not leaving the story entirely. I'll probably get one more chapter in before I'm gone for maybe two or three weeks. Thanks for the understanding guys, and I'll be back as soon as I can.

* * *

_**3**_

He was freezing and his legs were stiff as hell. Sasuke frowned beneath his mask as he hid up in the skeletal branches of a tree near a snow-drowned clearing. He and Naruto had followed a weak thread of chakra through a deep tangle of bare trees and found a swathe of swept snow and cold earth where the chakra thread had turned into a puddle, signifying that it had been a temporary resting place of the person they were following. From there they had had a rough time picking the trail up again--it seemed that the person had made several false trails and then backtracked to the original starting place in order to confuse pursuers. It had worked; he and the blond had followed three false trails before getting smart enough to send out bunshin to do the tracking. Now they had reached the clearing. Sasuke and one of his bunshin were keeping watch over the majority of the open area as they concealed themselves in the barren branches overhead. Naruto had made eight kagebunshin and all eight were lined periodically along the clearings edge, blending in with the same dead trees. The real Naruto was up in a third tree a little farther down from Sasuke's position. Not one of them dared to breathe.

"_Visual?_" the blonde's whisper vibrated through the radio collar attached to his neck.

Sasuke shifted his vision between his own and his bunshin's: "Solo," he mumbled back, his thin lips barely parting with his words. "Northeast travel."

"_Close to number two,_" Naruto pinpointed the traveler's position according to the bunshin he had lined up.

"Move?" Sasuke asked.

"_Wait_," Naruto said and they quieted, observing the figure. The person was wrapped in a dark cloak, their face concealed by both hood and a thick scarf tucked inside. It obscured the line of the shoulders, making it difficult to tell if it was a man or a woman. They walked unsteadily, hunched against the swirling wind that swooped down into the clearing between two walls of dead trees, their footprints staggered, quickly filling themselves with snow. They didn't have to cover their tracks--the elements did it for them. If you didn't mind freezing half to death, this was perfect weather for stealth travel.

"Action?" Sasuke prompted after another minute. If they waited any longer, they would lose the element of a surprise attack.

Naruto didn't answer for another minute or so, then: "_Moving out._"

Sasuke watched as the first four bunshin in Naruto's ground line slunk forward, black flickers against the stark whiteness of the snow. They arced in different directions, advancing on the person on four different sides. The figure stopped dead center of the clearing and turned around slowly, uncertainly. The bunshin all lunged. Sasuke blinked, his eyesight blurred, and then he saw everything in slow motion. With a flurry of their black cloak, the mystery person unleashed an arc of kunai vertically, aiming at one of their attackers. The first bunshin fell back to avoid them while the other three closed the distance. Metal rang against metal, sounding hard and shrill in the freezing air--the person unsheathed a weapon Sasuke rarely saw on the battlefield: a two-pronged short katana. Snow flew, chakra spheres flared together, the hair on Sasuke's arms and the nape of his neck rose high--_static?_--and with a sharp cry, two more bunshin flew away from them, exploding in swirls of smoke. An electric barrier, no hand seals. Sasuke leaned forward the tiniest bit, his eyes narrowing. The other four bunshin rocketed from their positions and rushed the lone figure. They kept the current two at bay with the unusual weapon. one hand flying into seals. _One-handed seals? _Sasuke frowned. _Not everyone can do that--_it clicked in his head. Stealth forgotten, he leapt out of the tree and ran for the battle in the clearing.

"Stop!" he yelled into his throat collar. "Naruto, _stop! _It's the Raikage!"

"_Wha--?_" his voice came back full of static. "_Repe--_" The electricity in the air was messing with their communicators.

"That's the Raikage!" he shouted again, fumbling with the catch on his sword. "Stop attacking!"

"_--can't underst--_"

"Naruto, STOP!"

"_Sa--pull ba--_"

He came to the fight, wrenching his sword free and using the butt of it to attack one of the unsuspecting bunshin. It squawked in surprise and disappeared. Two of the remaining five rounded on him. "What are you doing!" they cried in unison. _Poof! Poof! _The Raikage used their distraction to finish her seals and send two forks of concentrated lightning bolts at them. Sasuke tried to shout over the sound of fighting and the howling wind.

"Raikage-sama!" he called. "Stand down! We're not from Heaven's Guard!" Bright yellow eyes flashed at him from underneath the concealing hood. The three leftover bunshin disappeared suddenly and there was nothing between Sasuke and the wild-eyed woman. She sprang at him. "Wait--!"

"_Sasuke!_" he heard Naruto yell his name and then his ears started to ring. His eyes became unfocused. Warmth flooded his abdomen rapidly. "NO!" A flash of black, yellow, and white rushed past his peripheral. The sounds of fighting came faintly to him. His back was cold and wet. His stomach was too. He blinked dazedly.

"Na..." he sighed. His eyelids got heavy, and so he closed them.

* * *

There was so much damn _blood--_it was painting the snow. Her sword, still alive with blue and white static energy, ripped from his torso and flung hot red drops across the blank sky. Some of it spattered on to his cheeks. Naruto grabbed her, feeling his temper slipping away from him. The blood on her sword was so _red_, so bright and loud, it vibrated in his vision. He felt her wrists in his hand--they were so _thin_--he felt no strength or resistance in them. So easy to snap, to pull apart. He fought with himself. _Sasuke! Must get to Sasuke!_ _Kill her. She hurt Sasuke. Kill her!_ With all of his self-control, he breathed in the cold air around them (he smelled the blood, thick and coppery) and looked down into her yellow eyes.

"Are you..." he struggled, " the Raikage?"

"Release me!" she struggled in his arms. He tightened his grip on her wrists, clamped together in one hand, and around her waist, squeezing the breath out of her and cutting off her movement.

"Are you the Raikage?" he repeated.

"Don't ask stupid questions," she glared at him, her face reddening from lack of air.

Suddenly, the world around them exploded in noise and movement. Naruto threw her aside and turned back to the still figure of his partner, knelt beside him and scooped his arms under the other man's shoulders and knees, lifting him effortlessly. Simultaneously in the confusion, he spun off a single kagebunshin and made it connect itself to the dazed Raikage, then took off back the way they had come.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes slowly opened. His head was pounding. He lifted a hand to cover his eyes but his arm moved slowly and stiffly. He frowned.

"You were wounded."

He turned his head to the side. Naruto sat back against the dimly-lit wall (they were in a cave again--the same one?), a little fire snapping weakly between them. The blond had his knees drawn up to his chest, his arms encircling them, one hand clamped on his opposing wrist. His mask was off and his head was down, his blond spikes obscuring his eyes. Even though he had a killer headache and was feeling extremely groggy, Sasuke knew something was different about Naruto. He tried to sit up and found that it hurt. He winced and looked down. The blood was dry on his uniform, staining the white vest an ugly maroon. There was a white bandage on the red splotch, taped there securely. When he tried to sit up again, he felt a wet trickle slide down his stomach--he'd torn it open a little. He tried to open his mouth, found the entire thing to be dry, swallowed, licked his lips, and tried to talk.

"Ah..." he winced. Dry as hell.

"The cup next to you," was all the blond said. Sasuke looked down and saw the little silver cup full of water. He picked it up and almost dropped it, fumbled with it, and brought it to his lips. He drank. Some spilled down his front but he didn't care. The sharp cold of it made him wince again, but now he felt he could say a little more. He cleared his throat.

"Where...?"

"We're back in the cave we camped in the night before," he informed in a monotone voice. "I have bunshin patrolling the area."

"The...Raikage?" he wrinkled his nose at his displeasure at the situation. He was so freaking stupid, letting his guard down like that.

"She got captured," Naruto said in that same monotone.

"What?" Sasuke winced a third time but tried hard to ignore the sting in his throat. "Who--?"

"I'm assuming they were with the Heaven's Guard," he explained, "and they found us...because of me."

"You?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Stupid me," Naruto mumbled, shaking his head and lowering it even further. "When you got hurt, I..."

It was then that Sasuke fully noticed the change in Naruto. His shoulders were a little broader, his gloves had sharpened nails poking out of the ripped material at his fingertips. His chakra was not fully his own; it was overlapped by the Kyuubi's essence.

"What happened?" Sasuke wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"I... When she stabbed you, I..." he struggled (his voice was deeper, raspy, like a growl). "I...lost it. And I could smell your blood, and I was so _angry_ and..."

"What happened, Naruto?" Sasuke leaned forward, ignoring his headache.

"They came from the opposite end of the clearing," he whispered, "and surrounded us. I didn't know how bad you were hurt so I just grabbed you and ran..."

"You left her alone?"

"I attached one of my kagebunshin with her," he sank even lower, if that were possible. "I've been watching it the whole time. I...I know where their hideout is. The Raikage and my bunshin were taken to different places though, and they're...serious."

He lifted his head finally. His blue eyes were gone; they shone an angry, fierce red. The scars on his cheeks were elongated, whisker-like. Sasuke's ears picked up a slight hissing noise, which he connected with the small tendrils of smoke rising from Naruto's pale and sweaty skin. Cuts and welts peppered his body and then disappeared just as quickly as they had manifested. Naruto's kagebunshin was undergoing torture, and the real Naruto, keeping his link with his kagebunshin, was feeling every bit of it.

"Naruto--" Sasuke reached for him.

"It's my fault," he said, he _hissed_. "I'm so stupid. I messed up my priorities and we lost our chance to successfully extract the Raikage. I'm so _stupid_--"

"Hey!" Sasuke raised his voice and Naruto instantly quieted. "Stop that," he said in a softer tone. "You did just fine. You weren't sure about your casualties so you did what you could to prevent them. You also successfully found the Heaven's Guard hideout and pinpointed the exact location of the Raikage." He shook his head. "It's more my fault, anyway," he said. "I let my guard down and I left you without any other options. I'm sorry, Naruto."

"I thought..." he lowered his head again, "I thought you were... That sword went _in_, I _saw_ it. That's why I lost it; I thought you were...dead..."

* * *

The dinner table was quieter than usual. Hinata looked from one child to the next, worry making her brow heavy. She cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say to break the heavy silence.

"So... Did anything interesting happen after school today?" she asked them.

"We ran into Aunt Sakura," Haku answered, his eyes unfocused. Beside him, Hana gave a noncommittal nod. Hinata didn't know what to do. She felt like she was losing her kids to something she was completely unaware of.

"How was she?" she pressed.

"Fine," he said lamely.

"She was thinking about Daddy and Uncle Naruto," Hana offered to the conversation. Hinata turned to her, eager to pry something out of the more talkative twin.

"Was she?" she asked. "Did she say anything specific?"

"She bumped into Haku," Hana wrinkled her nose. "He fell. She looked like she was thinking about a lot of stuff though. She told us about being chakra tired."

"Chakra exhausted," Haku corrected her automatically, but not unkindly.

"Yeah that," Hana lapsed back into a distracted silence. Hinata chewed on her bottom lip, frustrated with herself and the situation. She racked her brain desperately for something, anything to--

"_Ngh!_"

A sharp _crack _made Hinata focus on her kids again. Haku had dropped his rice bowl and was clutching his stomach, a grimace of pain stamped on his face. "Haku?" she leaned forward. "What's--?"

"You _promised_!" Hana cut her mother off, throwing her own food aside and scrambling over to her brother's bent figure. She clamped her hands on his and tried to work them away from his abdomen. "You promised me I'd be first! Haku, you _promised!_" Tears were swelling in her frantic eyes. Hinata got up to come around the table and froze, her stare locked onto the gush of blood that was pouring out from between her children's white fingers. "_Haku!_" Hana kept shrieking. "You promised! You promised! _Haku!"_


	29. Winter, 4

_**4**_

Sakura rubbed her forehead tiredly and glanced up at the vitals monitor beside Haku's bed. The heart rate indicator beeped steadily, signifying REM cycle sleep. She sighed and dropped into the visitor's chair beside him, replaying the events of the last couple of hours.

Hinata had come in carrying Haku and shrieking for a medic. She explained that she tried closing the wound by herself at home, but the thing would just _not close_. So, instead of risking his life in a second attempt, she rushed him to the hospital. He was placed in intensive care and had four med nins working on him, but the wound _still _wouldn't close. At one point, he'd lost so much blood that the head doctor had pronounced him clinically dead. Sakura had refused to accept that, and so she went to work on the boy herself. She hiked his body's blood rejuvenation rate and fed him some of her own revitalizing chakra, keeping his blood flow steady and making his body strong enough to handle the strain of such prolonged blood loss. Even she had to admit, it had been very close. And finally, _finally_, the wound clotted. She went to work on closing it, but then every stitching jitsu she casted seemed to go right through him. So she had to stop the accelerated blood synthesis and reinforce the clot so the wound wouldn't open again, and then after a few more harsh attempts, the healing jitsu held and his wound closed for good. It had been very, _very_ close.

There was a knock on the room door.

"Haruno-san?" one of the resident interns poked her head into the room. "Uchiha-san wants to see him."

"You can send them both in," she nodded vaguely, hoisting herself to her feet with a tired grunt. She disappeared. Sakura took the last of the quiet moment to think about what had happened and if it linked with the strange vibe she had gotten from the twins yesterday. Haku had seemed desperate to hide something from her. Was it this? How had this _happened_, anyway?

"HAKU!" his sister exploded into the room and almost threw herself onto him. Sakura's quick reflexes snatched the girl out of the air and held her up, away from him.

"You can't fall on him like that," she scolded softly. "You'll hurt him."

Hana's eyes instantly watered. "I'm...I'm sorry," she sniffled, whimpered, her bottom lip quivered. Sakura set her in the chair she had just risen from and scooted it to the very head of the bed.

"It's okay," Sakura told her. "You can hold his hand from here, is that fine?"

The little girl sniffed again, nodded, and clutched at her brother's unmoving hand, whimpering softly to him. Hinata was standing silently in the doorway, staring at her children with an unreadable expression.

"How did this happen?" she whispered, echoing Sakura's own thoughts from a moment ago. "I mean, it looks like a _stab_ wound."

"It does," she nodded her agreement. "The wound is actually _two_ stab wounds, identical in size and exactly parallel to one another, which gives us reason to think that it was a two-pronged weapon."

"But _when?_" her eyebrows furrowed. "When did it _happen_?"

"You said you were at the dinner table?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, we were eating," Hinata nodded, her face still blank and unreadable. "I asked them what they did after school, they told me they bumped into you," she glanced up quickly, "and then they came home."

"They did," she confirmed. "I accidentally ran into them."

"I just don't understand how this _happened_," she repeated, shaking her head. "I mean, how can you not notice a _stab_ wound? Two, even?"

"There's something else," Sakura pulled the chart from the end of his bed and opened it, scanning over the written notes of the first doctor to tend to him. "The area around the wound was charred, as if by fire or electricity." She looked up at Hinata. "He has burn scars on his belly."

The other woman looked even more lost. "I have no idea," she said weakly. "It makes no _sense_! We were just _eating_--"

"Hinata, why don't you go lie down in the room next door?" Sakura offered calmly, the gears in the back of her head turning. "It's currently empty. You're emotionally exhausted."

"I couldn't..." her eyes lingered on her son's sleeping face.

"It's almost four in the morning," Sakura countered gently. "It's been a stressful night for you. Hana will be asleep soon, too. And you don't want to leave him here alone, do you?"

She shook her head. "No... Are you sure?"

"I'll be here all night," Sakura assured her. "And I'll take Hana into the other room when she falls asleep."

"Alright... Thank you, Sakura," Hinata nodded weakly and staggered out of the room, leaving her hand against the wall for support. Sakura waited until the sounds of settling from the other room stopped, then she crossed back to Haku's bed and knelt beside Hana, laying a hand gently on the girl's back.

"Hana, sweetie," she said quietly, watching the girl watch her brother. "Can you tell me what happened to him?" She didn't answer. "If it happens again, I need to know how to treat it--"

"It won't happen again," she stated quietly, almost angrily. "Next is my turn."

"Your turn?" Sakura frowned. "Why is it your turn next?"

"He promised I'd be first," she continued, her little face contorted into so much pain and sorrow. Sakura's heart throbbed painfully; a seven year old girl should never look like that. "That should be me lying there. I should be the one who almost..."

She sobbed, choking on the last part of her sentence. Her head fell onto the cool white sheets and she cried hard, squeezing her brother's unresponsive hand until her knuckles were white. Sakura made soft and soothing sounds to her, rubbing her shaking back, patting her hair gently. "It's okay, it's okay," she kept repeating. "Shh, he's fine now. It's okay." After a couple of more moments, the girl quieted. Sakura kept smoothing her hand over her back, sending calming waves of healing chakra through her small, trembling body as she thought about what the girl had said. It was her turn next, meaning, something like this would happen again? Haku had tried to hide the fact that they had given a good luck charm to their father with something inside of it... A note, a pre-prepared note. _No,_ she shook her head. _I'm thinking in the wrong direction. _She backtracked to the off-beat feeling she had gotten from the children the afternoon before the incident. They were chakra exhausted, a common condition when fighting for extended periods of time, or when all the chakra in the body was placed into a complicated jitsu, like Tsunade-sama's regenerative seal or Chiyo-sama's life-transferring jitsu. Complicated and banned techniques. Taboo. Illegal.

A little light was going off inside her head and she tried to ignore it. There was absolutely no way that these kids had gotten a hold of a secret sealed scroll. They were all in the Hokage's tower, guarded by the Hokage's assistants and ranks of Anbu. No way at all. But still...she couldn't help but think that they had gotten hold of _something _of that caliber and had done something with the necklace they had give Sasuke--

_Sasuke. _Her eyes widened. The wound that Haku had mysteriously received was one that she had feared would incapacitate her teammates. Stab wounds and burn marks--typical injuries one could received on dangerous infiltration missions. Why wouldn't Haku's wound stop bleeding? Because Sasuke's hadn't. Why, after such a long time, had it finally stopped bleeding? Because either he or Naruto had forcibly clotted it. Why hadn't her jitsus worked to close Haku's wound at first? Because...it was being transferred back the other way? ...to Sasuke? Her brain locked onto this thought and held on tight. It made sense of the random appearance of the wound and the irregularities in the healing process. But it absolutely did _not_ give an explanation as to _how_ it was working!

"Hana?" she said weakly. The little girl turned her head to the side, her bleary red-rimmed eyes focusing on the pink-haired woman. "Where did the two of you learn how to do this?"

Instant avoidance. "I don't know what you're saying," she mumbled.

"I think I've figured out everything except that," she said, slightly angry. "How could the two of you _do_--?"

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_The two of them looked up at the monitor. Haku's heart rate had jumped suddenly; Sakura noted that the pattern indicated nervousness. He could hear them. She struggled with her words, breathing in deeply to calm herself down.

"Hana, sweetie, listen to me," she said, keeping her voice even and calm. "You and your brother did something that linked the two of you physically with your father." She watched the startled reaction and it firmed her belief in her theory. "That means that Haku was hurt because your daddy was hurt, am I right?"

Slowly, hesitatnly, she nodded. "It was my idea," she whispered, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "Please, don't get mad at Haku. Don't tell Mommy he had anything to do with it. It was all me, all my idea!"

"Shh," Sakura gripped the girl's shoulder tightly. "It's alright. I'm not going to tell your mother." Relief flashed across her face. "But this wound means that your father is in trouble," she continued, "and I need to understand how you've done this so I can undo it. If he gets hurt like this again, it will transfer to you, right?"

"I don't know how," she shook her head, "but Haku said he made it."

"He made it," Sakura echoed her words. "Meaning, he drew it, or he _made_ it?"

"He made it," she repeated, managing to look slightly proud through her misery. "He got a bunch of books from the library and was studying how to create his own jitsu so we could help Daddy in some way." She rubbed her face with her hands wearily. "He told me that the jitsu would take all of Daddy's pain and give it to us, but I said that was okay, 'cause I don't mind getting hurt if that means Daddy's okay. He also said that we would get chakra 'sausted 'cause we'd be putting all of our chakra into the jitsu, but I said that was okay too. I didn't expect it to be like this, but..." she looked at her unconscious brother and frowned, "I'll do anything for Daddy to be okay." She raised her eyes defiantly to Sakura's. "Anything."

* * *

Sakura threw her pen down in frustration, shoving the heels of her hands into her eyes and blocking out the scrap papers with her frantic writing scrawled across them. After she had learned the truth from Hana she had gone to her office, locked herself inside, and had attempted to find the source of Haku's jitsu so that she could counter it and eliminate it from the twins' bodies. But she couldn't. She was not a genius, not a jitsu expert, and she couldn't turn to anyone else for help without raising suspicion and getting the children in very deep trouble. She was stuck and the only person that could possibly help her was still unconscious.

She turned her head to look out the window at the early dawn that was breaking outside. The sounds of the villagers beginning to wake rose from the cobblestone streets and mingled with the one or two early birds that were twittering distantly from the training grounds. The hopelessness that she had felt yesterday returned in a sudden crushing wave and frustrated, weary tears stung the corners of her eyes. Sakura shook her head fiercely and slammed her hands abruptly on the table, shooting to her feet. She headed for her office door, pulled it open. _Where am I going?_ A part of her knew the answer but hid it from her. If she thought about it now, she wouldn't go through with it. _Go through with what?_ She reached the locker rooms and went to her locker--third from the left end--opened it, grabbed her off-duty clothing, and began to change.

_What do you think you're doing?_ her inner self, long dormant, surfaced in her mind and spoke condescendingly to her. _You're still on the clock. _She ignored it, rolling up her scrubs and tossing them in the locker. She shut the door and left the room, heading for the rear staircase. She passed the room Hinata was sleeping in, looked into the next one briefly to see Hana lying asleep on her arms beside Haku, and continued onward, passing half-asleep interns that didn't really notice her as they stared blearily at their clipboards and yawned the sleep from their systems. She almost got there, stopped--_Well it's about time, _Inner Sakura rolled her eyes. _I don't know where you thought you were going..._ She silenced it by opening the door to the medical supply closet and ducking inside, searching around quickly with half-seeing eyes. She knew what she wanted to take and so she began grabbing them off the shelves, also glancing around for some sort of container or something. She found an empty crate under the sign-out desk and began filling it, not even reading labels but taking inventory from memory. _This...This is illegal! _Inner Sakura stammered. _You could get arrested for theft--you could get fired!_

She didn't care this point. Hefting the crate under one arm, she exited the room and shut the door behind her, beelining for the stairs. She got there uninterrupted and started down the spiraling steps, taking them two or three at a time. She was on her way. She was going. Nothing was going to stop her from...from... _From finding Naruto and Sasuke,_ her inner voice finished calmly, sounding accepting. _Finding them and helping them. So Hana and Haku don't suffer anymore._

* * *

"Hana..."

She didn't want to wake up. Her head was pounding and her eyes burned and her chest felt so heavy and tight. _Haku,_ she thought to herself. _Oh, Haku, I'm so sorry... I know you didn't want to, but..._

"Hana..." the voice came again to her distantly. Someone was squeezing her hand. Well, squeezing was an inappropriate word. They were tugging at her hand weakly, trying to rouse her. "Hana, please..."

Her eyes fluttered open. She saw cool grey walls and white sheets. Something near her beeped methodically. _Hospital_. "Haku!" she snapped her head around. He was smiling at her--it looked more like a pained grimace--he was awake, _alive_. "HAKU!"

"Shh," he tugged on her hand again. "I'm...okay."

"How can you say that!" she argued, lowering her voice obediently. "You almost died! I told you to do me first--!"

He shook his head. "No time," he croaked, tapping the top of her hand for her attention. She pressed her lips together instantly. "Aunt Sakura... She's going to leave the village."

"Huh? Aunt Sakura?" Hana gave him a confused look. "Why?"

He shook his head to indicate he didn't know. "She already left the hospital, but..." he winced as his throat rasped a little. She glanced around for anything to drink but there was nothing. He tapped her hand again, calling for her attention. She looked back to him; he was frowning. "She won't make it out of the village."

"Where's she going?" she frowned too. "She should be here, taking care of--"

"Daddy," was all he said. Hana blinked, understanding. "She's going to help them," he nodded at her. "But someone is trying to keep her in the village..."

"I'll help her," Hana slid out of the chair, grimacing as her heavy legs hit the floor. The uncomfortable tingling of blood rushing back into place signifyed the coming of the 'pins and needles' feeling that she hated, but she had to ignore it for now. "There's no one else who will, is there?"

He shook his head. _What can I do,_ Hana thought briefly, _that could help Aunt Sakura escape the village? _Me._ A little girl! _She pushed it aside though. She had doubted Haku once before, and the result of her doubt lay right before her very eyes. She would never, _ever_ doubt him again.

"I'll follow you..." he grunted, trying to sit up. Her hands shot to his shoulders and held him back down, staring directly into his eyes.

"No, Haku," she told him firmly. "You're healing. I'll handle it on my own," she straightened, giving him a slight smile. "You believe I can help, right?" He nodded. "Then that's all I need."

She ran out, feeling her brother's eyes on her back, his ache to go with her, his anxiety over her being alone. But she kept running, unknowingly following the same route Sakura herself had taken to the rear staircase, through the door, down the stairwell, flying now. _I'll protect him_, she kept repeating in her mind. _It's my turn to do something, and I can fight--I can do this. I can help too; I'm not worthless!_

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke found that he couldn't lie still. His partner, Uzumaki Naruto, was unusually silent (he was also unusually powerful...Sasuke tried not to think about that) and his wound had been itching like crazy. When he had first tried to scratch it, the other man had moved with a scary speed and snatched the hand away from the gauze bandage without a word, but the look in his eye had told Sasuke not to try again. But with so much energy coursing through him, he found it increasingly difficult to lie still. Finally, he sat up. Naruto's head snapped up attentively, tracking Sasuke's movement with his blood red eyes. The raven-haired man tried to ignore the drilling stare, pushing his hands against the floor and stretching the stiffness out of his arms. His brow furrowed in confusion. He started moving his right leg. Naruto growled in displeasure.

"Oh shut up," Sasuke countered instantly, without thinking. He glanced up. Naruto had indeed quieted but he was still watching intensely. He saw the other man's nose working, sniffing in his direction. Sasuke moved both legs this time, bending them at the knees, laying them flat and rolling his ankles--his joints all popped several times. He cracked his fingers and toes, he rolled his head on his neck, he arched his back (that evicted another growl from Naruto, which he ignored), and then, he tried to stand.

With a heavy thud he was lying again on his back, Naruto looming over him, his clawed hands on Sasuke's shoulders. His lips pulled back from his teeth, growling his displeasure at Sasuke's random bout of movement. "Naruto--!" Sasuke struggled under the other man. "Get off me!"

"Stop _moving_," the blond hissed. "You're injured."

"No, I'm not!" Sasuke shot back crossly. And although it was an absurd statement, he actually believed it was true. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he sniffed again, wrinkling his nose.

"Too much blood to tell," he spat and began working the white vest off of Sasuke's shoulders.

"Whoa! Hey!" Sasuke felt an unfamiliar flush of heat slam into his cheeks. "What are you--?"

"Shut up, Sasuke," Naruto snapped and almost tore the white vest off the other man. He moved his clawed hands down to Sasuke's waist and pushed the black thermal shirt up away from his abdomen, lowering his face down to the flat muscles there and inspecting the area of the wound.

After a few seconds, Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. "Naruto, could you stop that?" he mumbled, embarrassed.

"Stop being such a _girl_, Sasuke," he glanced up (those red eyes were so damn _unsettling_). "There's no more wound," he continued, releasing the black shirt and sitting back on his haunches. "How did you do that?"

"I...don't know," ha answered truthfully, placing his hands self-consciously atop his stomach. "I just... I suddenly had so much energy, so that's why I tried sitting up."

"Hn," Naruto wrinkled his nose thoughtfully. His eyes trailed from Sasuke's stomach up to his neck and they lingered there for a moment, a slightly thoughtful look crossing his animalistic features. He leaned forward again, sniffing.

"Wh-what?" Sasuke angled his head away from the face drawing closer to him. Naruto being this close to him usually gave him urges to pounce on the other man, but with those red eyes and whisker marks--and _fangs?_-- and controlling aura about him, Sasuke felt nothing but unease.

"I know you find this side of me repulsive," the blond spoke to him but kept his eyes on his neck. "As soon as we reach the hideout, I should change back--"

"I don't find you repulsive," Sasuke interrupted, frowning. "I'm just not used to..." He shook his head. "This is not you. It's something that's happened due to circumstances beyond control."

Naruto laughed, the sound ringing hard and cold in the stillness of the abandoned cave. "Nice try," he smirked humorlessly. "I can see it in your eyes; I can smell it on you: you're uncomfortable."

"That's not the same as 'repulsed'," Sasuke stood his ground.

Another icy laugh. "Whatever you say, then." Naruto drew away, rising to his full height. He gave Sasuke another empty grin. "I'll keep my distance from you until I return to normal. How's that?"

Sasuke shook his head but Naruto had turned away and moved closer to the frozen entrance of the cave. He sat against one of the dark walls, drew his knees up, wrapped his arms around them, and turned his head away to stare at the curtain of snow falling outside.


	30. Winter, 5

**Notes: **Okay. Before we go on, I'd like to clear up a few things that have come to my attention. I'm not angry, so please don't take it that way, but I feel that I have to explain my reasoning for some things in the story, and I'm a little disappointed that I have to resort to defending myself. Bear with me, as this might be a little long. If you're satisfied with the story and have no concerns with it, please feel free to skip this part.

_One – _I mentioned in the very first author's note that I was going to change Sasuke's overall character personality. After running away from his emotions all these years, killing his brother, struggling to rekindle his shattered relationships, getting married, and having children, Sasuke has to begin the VERY slow process of "learning to love", and as cliché as that sounds, that's what I tried to bring out in my writing. So when people mention Sasuke is acting very OOC, yes, I know that. But give the guy a little credit—he purposefully ignored and suppressed his every emotion for (in this story) almost twenty eight years, and it finally took Naruto and the twins to turn him around. It's a struggle to write a Sasuke that is both cynical and sweet, and I think I've balanced that as best as I could.

_Two – _Naruto is OOC. Flat out, I admit that. He's not the Naruto that I intended to write, and I admitted to that in an earlier note. But I also think that any normal person would become swept up and struggle the way that he has when all these issues are thrust upon him all at once. It's easier to write Naruto when he's not in his office, but he's been there since the beginning of the story, so keeping him strong-willed but making him appear vulnerable was probably one of the most challenging things I've done in this story. I've had moments that I've erased whole chapters where I felt Naruto came off too weak and helpless, so I'm sorry about that. I could have done _that_ better, but I was struggling with Sasuke most of all, seeing as it's his story…kind of.

_Three – _The biggest issue of all, I feel, is the involvement of the twins. I know they're NOT original _Naruto _characters, and for all the readers that looked past that I appreciate you guys so much, and thank you for your support. Hana and Haku have come the farthest in character development, and believe me when I say that was _not _my original intention at all. The children were going to have a more subdued role, but when I saw how I could change Sasuke with them, they started to develop too. I was told that the twins were becoming "MarySue-ish" and that actually really bothered me, because I tried to make them as real to the _Naruto_ world as possible. Twins share this incredible bond that I've seen, and I've marveled at, and I've tried my hardest to duplicate here. The extent that they go through for one another is more severe _because_ of the ninja world, I believe. I'm going to break their cases down separately:

_-Hana- _She has not have a chance to show her amazing potential in the story yet—I was hoping to get to that in this upcoming chapter. Hana is the "extroverted" twin, the one who's confident and strong-minded and has an 'in-your-face' attitude that makes her tomboyishly endearing. But, like any child, she has her doubts and struggles with her uncertainty, especially because she's a gifted child of the mixed Uchiha-Hyuuga bloodlines. She's ridiculed and teased, and has to have the strength and confidence to support not only herself, but her twin brother. Her Sharinagn-based eye is what gives her the ability to do as amazingly as she has so far, and will be doing in a later chapter. So, I don't think I've made her "too powerful". I think it's a natural evolution of stress, wanting to prove herself, the Sharingan, the love for her family (especially her brother), and a mix of prestigious bloodlines, making her more-gifted than most.

_-Haku- _Unlike his sister, Haku _has_ shown his full potential in the story, and his role in it is closing. He's the "introvert"—shy, quiet, reserved, and thoughtful, and has gone through some major growth. Usually being the one protected due to his "weak" personality, Haku has watched his entire family stand up to fight for him, and he's struggled with his inferiority complex, and risen above it to unlock his potential. The jitsu he researched for months and finally created is a show of his genius (Shikamaru can't really be the _only_ genius in the entire village, can he?). Thanks to the mix of powerful bloodlines, his Byakuugan-influenced eye gives him the advantage in chakra manipulation techniques like this. I feel that he developed beautifully as he helped his father come into his own feelings throughout the story.

I'm absolutely sorry that this note has run on forever. We're moving on—I just had to get it out of my system. If you read this, thanks for listening to my concerns, and sticking with my story for so long.

* * *

5

Not bothering to cover their tracks anymore, the two Leaf nins left their cave at early dawn. While breathing sometimes sent a slight twitch of pain through his abdomen, Uchiha Sasuke was a hundred percent operational. Before they headed out, his partner had informed him briefly on the status of the perimeter. Uzumaki Naruto's conditioned had worsened; he had grown pointed ears, visible fangs, and a thick chakra tail, but had still retained his consciousness as a human. Sasuke hid his worry behind his mask, suggesting that they run full speed toward the Heaven's Guard location and then quietly infiltrate their base and free the Raikage, using the captured kagebunshin as a distraction. Naruto had merely nodded, turned away from him, and took off on all fours, _blasting_ snow out from his path. Sasuke paused, still unsure about the Kyuubi's influence over the blond. Although Naruto had reached similar forms before (and worse, he had heard), he was unsure if the overlapping chakras had actually been together for such a long time. If there were any side effects...

He was falling behind. Sasuke shook his head to rid the jumble of confusing thoughts from his mind and took off after his partner.

* * *

She had stopped briefly at her house, changed into warm travel clothes, thrown on a cloak, and packed all her stolen supplies into a lightweight backpack. She was out again without even waking her parents. Now, as she strode quickly toward Konoha's large wooden gates, she felt three figures trailing her. Two of them flanked her on either side and one was directly behind her, trailing her doggedly. She knew she was going to have to face off against them. By herself...she wasn't sure she could do it. But she had to try.

The Anbu on her right pulled ahead and cut her off, appearing beneath the huge arc of the doorway with their arms crossed. "Haruno Sakura," he said in a commanding voice. "You are not permitted to leave the city-state of Konoha. You have already been informed of this by the Godaime Hokage-sama. Do you still wish to leave?"

"I do," she said defiantly, planting her feet firmly and squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin. It made her feel braver than she really was. "Please move."

"I can't do that," he lowered his arms, one hand settling on the hilt of his long-bladed katana.

"Haruno-san, please," the Anbu that had been at the rear had caught up. She stepped forward, a gesture that was very unprofessional--it made them seem human, vulnerable. "Turn back. We don't wish to hurt you."

"I can't," she shook her head, not taking her eyes from the leader. "My teammates are in danger, and I'm going to help them."

"Then by order of the temporary Hokage, Godaime-sama, we will resort to using force to stop you," he concluded and fully drew his weapon. The silver blade gleamed warningly in the early morning sunrise. Sakura forced her eyes not to give away her rising panic. What was she going to do? Against _three_ Anbu? Her heart began to sink low in her chest.

A rush of hurried footfalls made the four present glance around for the source. Streaks of black bulleted past Sakura on both sides and rushed collectively onto the leader.

"_Shishi Rendan!_"

Sakura watched in amazement as four small figures surrounded him, dropped to their hands, and upper thrust kicked him into the air. They all leapt after him, and suddenly all the figures turned into Hana. The first bunshin appeared beneath him and performed a crescent kick, but was blocked. The second appeared above them while he was distracted and did a rear-kick that connected with his chest—she heard him grunt in surprise rather than pain. The third bunshin came up behind the second and had a clenched fist swirling with chakra waiting. She struck him with a powerful punch directly in the pit of his stomach; the surprise now turned into pain. The last figure—the real Hana—jumped highest and drew back her leg (Sakura could see the mass of chakra swirling along her calf), crying out with the effort of her swinging kick that hooked him in the chest and sent him rocketing back down to the ground. She recalled her three bunshin and dropped a final devastating chakra-infused kick onto his torso that made a mixture of blood and spit spray out from under the Anbu's mask. His sword clattered out from his hand and spun out into the collection of trees flanking the city gates. Hana tumbled forward, handsprung, and slid back to Sakura's side, panting a bit, her face plastered with a fierce little grin.

"Haiyu!" the other two Anbu chimed in surprise. The one at the rear rushed past them to check on her comrade. The third—female—sprang at the young girl, taking her katana still inside its sheath and striking at the back of her small head. Sakura gave out a little shriek of surprise as Hana fell forward and glared up into the attacker's masked face.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" she yelled frantically. "She's just a—!" _Poof!_ The body was gone. Both of the women were caught by surprise, and the Anbu whirled to find the oncoming attack. It came from behind, Hana arching through the air toward her with a fist drawn back. The Anbu—with longer reach—counterattacked and followed through first, connecting with Hana's face. She fell to the pavement, dazed. Then, _poof!_ Gone again. From the right side, the Anbu swift-kicked, connected, and _poof! _From the left, backhand, _poof!_ _She's using her own bunshin as substitution for the _kawarimi _techinique, _Sakura watched in amazement, flashing back briefly to her own substitution trick during the Chuunin Exams. _Did Naruto teach her the kagebunshin…?_ Behind, counter, _poof! _Above, counter, _poof!_ How many times had she substituted already?

"_Cherry Bombs!_"

Little red handmade bombs suddenly peppered the floor around them and Sakura leapt back out of the attack's way. The Anbu shielded her face, but thick pink smoke billowed up from the firecracker blasts and engulfed her, making her cough. Sakura saw Hana pause outside the smoke cloud. Their eyes met. Hana nodded. Sakura nodded back. Hana darted into the cloud—a startled "Hey!" from the Anbu—and she reappeared out of the smoke with the sword in hand. Sakura pulled back her own fist, infused it with a powerful concentration of chakra, and punched blindly into the column of dissipating smoke. She connected with something—from the crack that sounded when the hit connected, it was most likely the ribs—and the Anbu dropped to her knees, clutching at her side. Hana tossed Sakura the sword; she caught it, yanked it free, and lined it up with the kneeling Anbu's eye level. The first Anbu—the leader that Hana had initially attacked—came to his teammate's aid. Sakura ducked under his high kick and the female Anbu grabbed her wrist and pulled her off her balance, drawing her arm out and preparing to deliver a bone-snapping chop when Hana saved her again.

"_Katon! Housenka no jitsu!_" Her hands flew impossibly fast and her connected fingers rose to her mouth and blew out two powerful fireballs directed at the two Anbu. The one with the grip on Sakura rolled away, twisting the sword out of her hands. It clattered to the floor. The leader Anbu—at such close range—could do nothing but flip backward to avoid the fireball. But she didn't stop there: Hana blew another fireball at the sword, sending it spinning in the opposite direction the first one had disappeared in. It tumbled into the overgrowth and was gone from sight. She continued to launch fireballs at the two until they had regrouped with their med nin, who was merely watching. _Why? _Sakura wondered cautiously. Hana lowered her hand and swayed unsteadily. Sakura backed over to her side and dropped to one knee to whisper at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Hana nodded weakly. "You're pushing yourself—" A negative headshake as she dragged heavy breaths in and out of her mouth, her eyes on the three Anbu standing between them and the gates. She tried to stand straight but her knees gave and she fell to the ground, crying out breathlessly. Sakura saw the tears rising in her eyes and couldn't think of anything to say. Hana had been _amazing_, but Sakura could only do so much to both attack and defend both her and Hana against their attackers. She had managed to buy Sakura some time, but it hadn't been enough. What could they do? What _could_ shedo now?

"That's Uchiha's daughter, isn't it?" the leader called over to them.

Before Sakura could answer with anything, Hana growled viciously back at him: "Why do _you _care? Instead of going with my dad to help him, you decided to wuss out and stay here all safe and sound while he and Uncle Naruto might be _dying—"_ She stopped to breathe raggedly, her shaking arms holding her barely upright. "And my brother almost died… And no one's going to help them." She got her feet under her and struggled to stand, waving off Sakura's outstretched hand. "Instead, you're actually trying to stop the _only_ person who really gives a shit if Daddy and Uncle Naruto live or die!"

"You shouldn't stand…" the med nin called meekly.

"She's got a mouth on her," the leader snickered behind his mask, taking a step forward. Sakura instantly threw herself in front of Hana protectively, glaring hard.

"Leave her out of this. If you want to stop me, fine. But leave her out—"

"She attacked two on-duty Anbu," the third one replied coldly, not flinching as her partner began to reinforce the broken rib in her side. "That's illegal, and she needs to be placed under arrest."

"She's _seven!_" Sakura yelled.

"Jun, maybe that's taking it too far," the medic said to her.

"It's a crime," Jun repeated. "We're taking them both."

"Aunt Sakura," Hana whispered as the two women quarreled over Hana's punishment, "I have some Cherry Bombs left. I could use them and you could make a run for it."

"I don't think they'll be fooled by that a second time," she shook her head apologetically.

"That's okay," Hana grinned her mischievous grin. "I've got an idea." She handed Sakura the homemade bombs. "I want you to throw these, then hide."

"Hana, sweetie, they're Anbu—they'll be able to find me instantly."

"Stop treating me like a child and _trust me_!"

Sakura blinked. Hana glared back at her. "Will you _please_ trust me?" she asked impatiently. "I'm trusting you to go help my dad, so can you at least trust me on this?" Sakura looked into Hana's tired, angry eyes and nodded slowly.

"Alright, Hana."

"What are you two talking about over there?" the leader asked.

"I'm going home!" Hana spat at him, giving him a spiteful glare. "Whatever, I'm not gonna do it again, okay?"

"It's not that simple—" Jun began.

"It's okay," the med nin overrode her teammate. "Go straight home, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Hana flipped her hair defiantly at the three Anbu, threw a glance at Sakura, and ran back toward the village proper. Sakura watched her go, holding the tiny bombs in her hand and wondering what Hana had planned. She turned back toward her obstacle.

"Are you ready to come back quietly?" Leader asked her.

"No," she shuffled the bombs behind her back, putting three in each hand and wedging them between her fingers.

"Fine then," Jun crouched. Haiyu did too. The third Anbu opened her mouth to protest and that's when Sakura ran forward, bringing her arms in front of her with her fingers splayed. She flung both sets.

"Not this time," she heard the leader say, and before he could use a jitsu to clear the smoke, she used a variation of a _doton_ jitsu she'd seen Kakashi do once or twice and burrowed into the ground, concealing her chakra signature at the same time and making herself temporarily invisible. Footsteps rushed over her head and there was a scuffle. "Gotcha!" the leader crowed and she jumped, nearly giving away her position. But he couldn't be talking to her—he couldn't see her.

"Let go!" she heard her own voice grunt from overhead.

"No way," he grinned. She wanted to come out of the ground and punch him in the teeth.

"Haruno Sakura, you're under arrest for ignoring a direct order from the Hokage, and purposefully fighting and injuring an Anbu." The voice belonged to the bitchy one. They were arresting her…underground? She waited for the hand to come and pull her up out of her hiding place, but the collection of presences passed over her and went back toward the city. Not being able to resist, she poked the top of her head out of the dirt and looked on as the three Anbu led her—_another her_—away. It was Hana, using a _henge_ jitsu to look just like Sakura. She retreated back into her hiding place, her head spinning with the implications of what they had just done. If Hana kept up the pretense, Sakura might be able to make it all the way to the Lightning Country before they figured it out. But, with the way Hana's chakra had been waning, Sakura gave the disguise only a few hours. But it was better to work with that than nothing at all.

She waited until the four presences faded from her mental sensors, then unearthed herself and rushed out of the city gates.


	31. Winter, 6

**Notes: **I got so prosperous last night, I'm a half-chapter ahead! Woo! Anyway, thank you so much for your comments guys! Thanks for your devoted reading and support! I'm so glad you all want to keep doing this with me after all of that nonsense that I spewed in the earlier note. Anyhow, I just wanted to give you guys a warning about the upcoming events: Kyuubi Naruto is becoming problematic. Things in the Cloud country are getting extremely ugly, and Sasuke is being helplessly pulled in with it. You might not like me after these next two chapters, I feel. Sad. ;_;

* * *

_**6**_

They led their reluctant captive up the winding staircase to the top floors of the Anbu HQ. Her sour face and heated glares were lost on Jun and Haiyu, but Naori felt that her heart was being stabbed with a kunai each time the accusing eyes landed on her. All Haruno had wanted to do was help her life-long teammates and friends. She knew she'd do the same if Jun and Haiyu had gone on such a dangerous mission and left her behind. She felt Sakura's pain. Jun was very good at tuning out her emotions, but it also helped that Haruno-san and the Uchiha child had managed to disarm her and break two of her ribs.

"What's going to happen?" Haruno asked them as they left the staircase and entered a long hall with tan doors lined periodically on either side. This floor was the one containing the team meeting rooms—they were taking her to the Team Seven room until they could successfully summon the Godaime and lay down a punishment for her actions.

"You'll meet with the Godaime Hokage-sama, and she'll decide what to do with you after that," Haiyu told her. Naori heard the sympathy in his voice, no matter how hard he tried to cover it up. In truth, they _all_ wanted to go and help Sasuke and the Rokudaime…but they had orders they needed to follow. _Maybe if we plead to Godaime-sama along with Haruno-san, _Naori thought, _we could get permission to go after Sasuke-kun and the Rokudaime._

"Pfft, that old hag is going to _punish_ me?" Haruno scoffed to Naori's surprise. "She's not the real hokage."

"Regardless," Jun snapped coldly, "she _is _in charge of all the hokage's affairs at the moment. So she _is _the hokage, until the Rokudaime returns."

"Who says he will?" she snapped back just as quickly. "They could both be _dying _out there!"

"They're capable of taking care of themselves," Haiyu said in a slightly assuring tone. "I mean, it _is _the captain of the Anbu and the Rokudaime after all."

"That doesn't mean that every attack thrown at them will just magically miss!" Sakura snapped angrily, throwing her heated glare at the three masked soldiers.

"Haruno-san…we _know _all of this," Naori spoke up as they opened the door to their team's private area. "But we _can't_ disobey a direct order, just like you! Our hands are tied as well!"

"You three are Anbu!" Sakura raved back, whirling around to face them as they stood in the doorway, blocking her only means of escape. "Your job is to _protect_ the hokage and all the villagers at _all costs!_ And you can't even think for yourselves? This is _bullshit!_"

"I've heard _enough _out of you!" Jun lifted a hand and Haiyu instantly gripped her wrist and brought it back down.

"That's not necessary, Kigeki," he said quietly and both his tone and the fact that he had formally addressed Jun took both his comrades off guard.

"With all due respect," Jun countered, not sounding too pleased, "she's been _bitching_ this whole time. I vote that we gag her until the Godaime arrives."

"Try me," Sakura growled, her eyes narrowing. Naori had to double-take though, because it looked as if Haruno-san's eyes had turned red for an instant…

"I'm worried about Sasuke, too," he admitted to Jun a bit sheepishly.

She sighed angrily: "He's a grown man! He can take care of himself!"

"Please, don't fight," Naori raised her hands in a calm-down gesture. "We're _all_ concerned for Sasuke-kun and the Raikakge, even you, Jun."

"Hmph, please," the other woman crossed her arms over her chest and turned up her nose.

"I don't know about the two of you, but it makes me uneasy that they didn't at least take a medical ninja with them," she continued. "That raises their casualty rate by at least sixty-seven percent, given the danger of the mission."

"What can we do about that?" Jun spat back. "Nothing! Even _if_ we were to turn this girl over to the hokage and follow them, Sasuke and the Raikage would most likely already be deep into the enemy's territory. We could never reach them in time to be of any help!"

"You're not even going to try?" Sakura spoke up from a long dark blue couch by the picture window that ran from one wall to the other. She was looking out to the city, away from the arguing teammates. "You're all worthless. I'm supposed to trust my precious person's life to _you_ three?"

"No one _asked_ you for your opinion!" Jun yelled at her.

"Kigeki Chikai, you will calm down _right now!_" Haiyu commanded.

"No, I won't!" she yelled back, finally ripping her mask up off her face and throwing it onto one of the other couches. "I will _not_ calm down! Haruno is right—something terrible _can_ happen to them out there, and there's absolutely _nothing_ we can do about it right now!" She turned her watering eyes away from her friends and Sakura. "We're helpless! We can't disobey orders! We can't do _anything_ without the Hokage's say-so!" Her voice cracked threateningly. "Don't you see? We're so fucking _helpless_…"

"Jun…" Naori pulled off her own mask to look her friend directly in the eyes. "If you felt that way, why didn't you just say so?"

Jun gave a shaky laugh, "Yeah, right."

"Seriously, Jun," Haiyu unmasked himself as well. "Why didn't you just say something? You can tell us anything." He frowned: "I feel the exact same way, you know."

"Me too," Naori nodded.

"If you feel so strongly about it, then…" Haruno spoke up and they all turned to look at her, suddenly remembering that she was in the room too. "You should all just follow them and see if you can do anything at all to help. If you don't…" she turned from the window to look the three Anbu directly in their eyes, with no masks between them, "you'll regret it forever. And if they die, you'll never forgive yourselves. A shinobi that abandons their duty is scum," she said sternly, "but someone who abandons their friends in their time of need is worse than scum, don't you think?"

Before the three Anbu could retaliate to what she had told them, Sakura grabbed a paper from her hip pouch and flung it at the long picture window, then ran straight for it as she raised her arms defensively over her face and chest. The tag hit the glass and exploded deafeningly in the enclosed space, sending glittering shards of glass flying back at them and raining out and down onto the street below. Haruno Sakura lowered her arms—hooked glass shards peppered the flesh of her forearms and abdomen, blood painted half of her, glittering splinters of the broken window sparkled like diamonds in her hair—and leapt through the gaping hole and fell from the thirty-sixth floor of the Anbu Tower.

"_Holy shit!_" Haiyu yelped.

* * *

Her cuts burned. She desperately fought back the tears of pain, sadness, and fatigue. Her vision was getting blurry though, and as the ground rushed toward her, glittering with fallen glass, she chuckled weakly and humorlessly. _Go figure…I'm useless, even in the end. Haku_, she thought fondly of her brother, lying unknowing in his hospital bed. _I am so sorry...I tried, I really did…but I couldn't…do…anything…_ Her eyes closed and she sighed with release, the last of her chakra drained itself dry and in mid-air she reverted to her small seven year old form. Hana was losing consciousness. A few tears escaped her and she let them; she was too tired to fight anymore. She'd let everyone down: Daddy, Uncle Naruto, Aunt Sakura, her mother, Haku...

"Haku…" she grunted, struggling feebly in her freefall. She managed to use the rushing air to flip herself upward lightly, going feet-first instead of headfirst. She wished she could use her hands properly, but they had bound them together to hinder her plans of escape. She thought if she had time, she might be able to wriggle her smaller wrists out of them, but there was no time, only the street rushing up faster and faster to meet her. "Ha…ku…!" she tried to muster up her chakra—there was nothing left, she was dry.

"_Fuuton no jitsu!_"

A warm, gentle wind enveloped her and slowed her descent. She tried to look around for the source but realized she was too tired to really care and just laid back and let it carry her softly downwards. _I'm caught…_ she thought gloomily. _Aunt Sakura will really be in trouble now..._ And that was her last thought before her exhaustion rose up and claimed her consciousness.

* * *

The little girl landed lightly in Haiyu's arms. Jun came running out of the building looking both panicked and angry, with Naori a few moments behind her, her face a mask of worry.

"I got her, don't worry," he said, cradling her small form. "You know, she's really light for a seven year old."

"Are you _insane!_" Jun screamed at him, ignoring the unconscious girl in his arms as she took liberal swings at him. He dodged them easily since she was uncustomarily angry, and her focus was way off. "You jumped out of a _window!_"

"So did she, but I don't see you yelling at her," Haiyu pouted, dodging another couple of wide swings.

"Is she alright?" Naori ran up to them, trying to dodge past the flailing Jun to inspect the child in Haiyu's possession.

"She's unconscious," he gave her a brief overlook, ducking Jun's punches again and handing the Uchiha girl off to the medic. "I don't know how much blood she's lost, but she's got absolutely NO chakra left."

"I thought as much," she sighed. "Jun, I need you to extract these glass shards—some of them are very fine."

"I…!" Jun glared at Haiyu breathlessly. He held up his hands in self-defense, giving her a weak grin.

"You can hit me all you want later, just help the kid," he said.

* * *

"_Run faster!"_

_His ragged breaths burned on the way down, whistling loudly as he sucked them in hungrily, feeding his deprived body. The adrenaline was making him light-headed. His heart was screaming deafeningly in his chest. The presence on his back was nearly unbearable; it was agonizing, the excess weight was holding him down, as if he were running through molasses. He didn't know if his heart, his lungs, or his legs were going to give out first. Maybe they'd all go at the same time—_

"_Dammit, Sasuke, fucking _move!_"_

_Naruto was behind him and they were running like Hell was chasing after them. But the snow was melting and rushing past their calves in half-melted rivers, freezing their muscles, making it slippery, impossible to run fast. And that fucking _weight_! It was murder!_

"_Just a little farther…!" Naruto gasped between panting lungfuls of air._

_They cleared the forest, bursting out from the nest of dead trees and skid-run-sliding down the embankment and toward the still-frozen river's edge. He used his downhill momentum to bound over it cleanly, then used that landing to fall into another aching, agonizing run._

"_We're almost out of range!" he screamed back, not knowing if Naruto had heard him because the roar of the fire behind them was incredibly and impossibly loud. It sounded _alive_, like a fire demon destroying everything it touched. Fire demon…_

Fire demon. Demon fox. _The Kyuubi! _And then, _Oh my god…_

_He turned. He was alone. The weight on his back was trying to force him to his knees, to submit, to surrender. Way back, above the skeletons of the burning trees, the Kyuubi Kitsune roared and spewed fire and waved its flaming tails. One giant, roving, blood red eye landed on him and everything in his body turned into slush. He finally fell down, dropping his charge. His hands lay palm-up atop his thighs in a gesture of hopeless surrender. His teeth clicked together—not from cold but from pure terror—his own eyes stared into that one beady red one and saw the chaotic flames reflected in its glassy surface. The demon lifted its snout into the black, smoke-filled sky and shrieked its pleasure._

_At the exact same moment, Sasuke began to scream._

* * *

"_DADDY! DADDY!"_

Hinata nearly fell out of the bed. Her sleep had been light and fitful, laced with worry. The sound of her son's terrified cries shook her awake and she tumbled out of bed, stumbling into a limping run because nothing worked correctly yet and headed for her son's room next door. There was an intern rushing in through the open doorway: _where's Sakura-san?_ She got to the open doorway and stopped, looking on dumbfounded as her brain tried to process all the information her senses were feeding her all at once. Her son was on his hospital bed, whipping his entire body back and forth as his little arms clawed feverishly at the air, as if fending off something. There were two nurses attempting to hold him down to the bed, and one of them commanded the newly-arrived intern to get a hold of his kicking legs for christ's sake and help _hold him down!_ In the once-empty bed beside his, her daughter was lying there not asleep but actually _unconscious_, long, red-stained bandages tightly wrapped along the entire length of her arms and her abdomen from her ribcage to her hips. She too was fidgeting, though not as much as her brother, her face marred in suffering as she shook her head endlessly back and forth and murmured something that sounded like "no, please no, not him, no, please..." A doctor and three other nurses were tending to her, and all of them were shouting observations and commands back and forth to one another as they darted back and forth between the two beds.

"I need you doctor!"

"I don't understand what happened! It was all of a sudden--"

"Hold his _legs_, I said!"

"Watch the IV! Make sure he doesn't yank it out of his arm."

"What is going ON here!" Hinata yelled over everyone. The doctor looked up at her outburst and addressed her testily.

"Can I help you?" he frowned.

"These are my _children!_" she cried. "Tell me what's happened!"

"Uchiha-san," he looked at the chart in his hand and pushed his wire-framed glasses up along the bridge of his nose. "Your son had some kind of mental relapse all of a sudden," he shrugged. "One of the nurses discovered it as she was making her rounds. Your daughter was brought in only a little while ago with injuries to her arms and lower torso," he glanced up at her, then back down at the chart. "It appears she was signed in by a Mako Naori. And your son's doctor, Haruno Sakura, is absolutely nowhere to be found." He sighed, as if this were the most troublesome thing in the world to him right now. "I have my own workload--I don't have time to be covering for her patients."

Hinata looked from her thrashing son and then to her unconscious daughter, back and forth, her white eyes peppered with red snatches of bloodshot veins. Then she marched through the chaotic room straight to the doctor with the glasses and the chart and grabbed him roughly about the collar of his white coat.

"You listen to me," she announced, deep anger undertoning her voice. "These are my _children_. They are my whole _life_. You will _not_ stand around in here and do nothing to help them in any way, shape, or form." She tightened her grip, pulling his shocked face down to her eye level. "And if you talk to me like that, or talk about them in such an unprofessional way _ever_ again, I will have you fired faster than you can say 'diagnosis'. Do you _understand me_?"

"Y-yes," he stared at her, shocked. Hinata threw him aside and went to Haku's bed, watching desperately as the intern was kicked in the jaw for what she thought was the fifth time, the IV almost completely yanked free of his vein (as it was, it was already leaving a deep purple bruise in the hollow of his elbow), one of the nurses holding him cursed under her breath, and Haku himself twitched and flung his arms and legs and clawed at the air again, screaming.

"NO! _NO! DADDY!_ RUN AWAY! YOU CAN'T WIN--RUN AWAY!"

She turned to face Hana's bed. The same worry in her brother's voice lined the little girl's face. Her eyes moved rapidly back and forth beneath her bruise-colored eyelids. Her lips were pale--blood loss and shock--and she was trembling violently from head to toe. "No, please," she whispered hoarsely. "Not Daddy, no... Run, Daddy, please _run...!_"

Were they having the exact same dream? _Sasuke,_ she thought suddenly, _I know you told me what to do when the time came, but...you need to come home, because if you don't, your children will be devastated for the rest of their lives_. She knew that both her children loved her very much. But there was something about the attention their father gave them that made him the center of their small world, and she couldn't help but envy him this, even now as she was with them and he was in another country facing his own death. She couldn't help herself. Her vision blurred as her tears welled up, and suddenly a warm hand clamped on her shoulder and turned her around, pulling her into an equally warm embrace.

"I came as fast as I could," Inuzuka Kiba murmured in her ear, kissing her temple gently with trembling lips. "I'm here."

"I'm so glad you're here," she sobbed, dropping her forehead onto his chest and clenching her arms tight around his shoulders. "I don't know what to do!"

"You'll figure it out--you're a smart girl," he said to her, a playful grin trying to tweak up one corner of his mouth. She laughed slightly through her tears and closed her eyes, taking his warmth into her and converting it into her strength.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was having a multitude of bad feelings. They were swirling around tightly in his chest, dredging up the worst possible scenarios his anxious mind could come up with. He tried his hardest to put them all aside and concentrate solely on their infiltration plan, but he just couldn't do that anymore. Every time he tried to regain his composure, another frightening image would slam into his head and leave him shuddering. Uzumaki Naruto (however much of him was present) seemed either not to notice or not to care. His pointed ears were tilted forward, listening to the sounds coming from inside the fort. His slightly-elongated nose quivered, taking in the smells of the guards and the watchmen and the location of the Raikage and marking them slowly and carefully. The red chakra tail swished back and forth, making an arc in the snow he crouched upon as his red eyes focused intently on the single entrance, watching members of the Heaven's Guard slip in and out of their fortress.

"There's a lower floor," Kyuubi Naruto rumbled quietly, sniffing again. "That's where they're holding her--a prison cell, most likely."

"How are we going to get in?" Sasuke frowned, trying to ignore the chills he got whenever he heard Naruto's voice laced with intense disgust (and some slight insanity). "You're not exactly in the best form for a stealth infiltration."

Kyuubi Naruto scoffed, a thick, gagging noise that sounded almost like he had sneezed. "_I'm _the distraction, you idiot." Sasuke didn't like the insult coming from this Naruto. He kept his opinion to himself, though. "_You're_ the one who's going to go in there and rescue the Raikage with all the confusion."

"If you're going to use kagebunshin," Sasuke said instead, "how will I find you so we can escape?"

"The real me will find you," it tapped the side of his nose. "Don't worry--I'll be back to normal soon, so you won't feel so uneasy anymore." The haunting red eyes turned on him, and its mouth curved into a wicked, fanged grin. "It's distracting, isn't it?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke shrugged, pretending that the malicious aura wasn't bothering him one bit. But the Kyuubi knew. It rose to its full height (definitely taller now) and loomed over the other man, the hungry-looking grin widening ever so slightly.

"Tell me the truth, Sasuke," it spoke to him in Naruto's voice. _How much of this is you?_ he wondered fleetingly. "Do you hate me in this form?"

"You're not yourself," he avoided the question.

"That's not what I asked you," it _tisked_ at him, waggling a finger mockingly. "Come on Sasuke-_kun_, tell me the truth."

"You're still you, somewhere underneath there," he leaned back unconsciously, away from the figure closing the distance between them. "So, no, I don't hate you. I could never hate you, you know that." He glared into the red eyes. "Stop asking me stupid questions, Naruto."

"Sorry about that," the grin it wore plainly stated that it wasn't sorry at all. It was _enjoying_ itself. "Come on, then. Let's go rescue her."

Sasuke couldn't take very much more of this. "Fine," he pulled his stylized raven mask down over his eyes, concealing his face. His eyes blurred then focused intensely. The fiery aura beside him made him flinch involuntarily. "How many were you planning on making?"

"I think the more-appropriate question," the Kyuubi Naruto grinned sickeningly back at the Uchiha, "is how many _can_ I make?"


	32. Winter, 7

**Notes: **Okay, to clarify some stuff as the story is wrapping up…

Remember that in the first part of the last chapter, when I'm referring to 'Haruno' or 'Sakura' I'm referring to Hana in the third person, who is using _henge_ to look like Sakura.

The children are doing the dream thing again, meaning, Haku's worry for his father and his uncle are forcing his Byakkugan to see a "vision" of what will soon befall them. Hana's Sharingan is copying his "vision" allowing her to see the exact same thing that he is, and so, they're having the same dream at the same time.

I really don't want to end this story, but chapter eight will possibly be the very last chapter of _**A Change of Seasons**_. However, as I did in the _Summer_ chapter, I will be adding a bonus _Winter_ chapter, so please keep an eye out for that too.

Thanks for reading, as always, and thanks so much for all your great comments. ^_^

* * *

_**7**_

At first they thought it was the wind, blowing strongly through the valley a little further back in the depths of the skeleton forest. Then as it swelled and the ground beneath their feet started to tremble, they believed it to be an earthquake. Some even took precautions and readied their med kits. But then, an overwhelming wave of fiery, evil chakra slapped into them--it was like nothing any Cloud nin had ever encountered before. It even drove some of them insane on the spot. Shinobi began to fall back; some ran screaming and some rushed to get orders from a superior. By then, the noise had escalated to a muted roar and the shaking earth sounded as if thousands of footfalls were treading upon it, and suddenly there _were_ thousands of fox-like creatures running out from the forests on all sides of them. The packs descended like a swarming horde over the Heaven's Guard. It was absolute chaos—people screamed in pain and yelled for help and cried in terror and cackled as they grew mad and soldiers' bodies littered the snowy ground and hot blood rained from the steel gray sky.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke went after the first wave had disposed of or chased out everyone. The open center of the fort was dark and red and deserted. Only one or two people were there, rocking back and forth or running in small circles screeching and giggling with madness. The iron wall of the blood's smell slammed into his senses, making him briefly double over from the shock of it. He felt—perhaps for the first time in his entire shinobi career—that he might throw up. He could hear the echoes of the Cloud nins screams and the Kyuubi-bunshins' pleased growls as they chased each other back and forth through the corridors. It was here that he had to be very careful. Sasuke concealed himself with a strong illusion jitsu that encased him in a tight chakra ball which had a mirroring effect, so he blended in with the dark walls perfectly. The only times he had to stop was when there was a fight that rolled near him between a bunshin and a Cloud nin and he had to wait for one of them to win. It was always the Kyuubi-bunshin, and after it tore the throat or heart or stomach out of its opponent, it would lift glittering red eyes to his hiding place and smirk through a mouthful of ripped flesh with blood painting its face and claws and running thickly down its chin. Then it would move on and _he_ would move on, telling himself that the next time it happened, he wouldn't stop and he wouldn't watch, but he always did.

Down and down and down, further into the winding corridors that reminded him vaguely of Orochimaru's old chambers...or the burrows of a complex anthill. The bloodshed thinned out here—it seemed that the Kyuubi-bunshin were having too much fun on the above floors to get this far. And although the scent of blood was still very strong, there was finally a give in that iron wall of stench and Sasuke breathed it in gratefully. He also had to be even more cautious, because he'd be encountering higher-level ninjas, ones that could possibly detect him and see through his jitsu. Higher-ranking officers that he might have to fight. And where he once found a thrill of challenge in that, he could now only feel a bitter kind of impatience toward it. He didn't have time for nonsense like difficult fights; all he wanted to do was find the Raikage, rendezvous with Naruto (hopefully the _real_ Naruto, as the Kyuubi had promised), and go home so he could be with Naruto and his family where they all belonged, together.

* * *

Haruno Sakura stopped to take a break and consult her map.

She glanced at the lands and the paths and the rivers as she ate a cold sandwich of only wheat bread and cheese. This was all she had brought in the way of food—as she figured, it would take her almost three days to cross the border into the Cloud country, and melting snow in her tiny pot supplied her with endless water. Another two or three days to pick up Sasuke and Naruto's trail (maybe just one day if she were extremely lucky) and that's where her supply ended. She wasn't that concerned, since as a shinobi she was trained to live off the harshest lands, but she had been hoping it wouldn't take that long.

_I'm so stupid_, she sighed to herself. _I got up here, and for what? What happens if I can't find them...?_

_No,_ she shook her head defiantly. _You can't think that way, Sakura. You've already come so far! All you have to do is think like they do—come on, you can do this!_

Indeed, she should be able to. She'd only known the idiots since she was twelve. Sakura looked at the map again, chewing her last bit of sandwich thoughtfully.

_Let's see, _she followed a few territory lines with her eyes. _They'd want to be close enough to a water source, and also follow that source as much as they could...in the proper direction, anyway. _She trailed a few of the fat blue river lines with the gloved tip of her index finger. _Knowing how Naruto absolutely hates the cold, and Sasuke prefers not to sleep in nature if he absolutely doesn't have to..._ She ran her fingers along the blue lines until she found one of the longer ones that appeared to be rather close to a cave. Said cave wasn't large enough to have a name, but the river was, and did:

"The Nimbus River," she read, shaking her head. "Cute, Cloud country, real cute."

She'd check that cave first—it was her best bet. She felt almost a hundred percent sure on her decision. _Silly boys, _she shook her head with a ghost of a smile gracing her slightly-blue lips. Then she tucked the map back into her hip pouch and trudged off in that direction.

* * *

"We can't follow Sasuke-san's trail," Naori spoke aloud, "because it's over a week old."

"So what?" Haiyu shrugged as they continued hiking up the slope, gripping the straps of his impromptu travel pack tightly. "I can find trails that are almost a _month_ old!"

"She's got a good point," Jun spoke begrudgingly. "It's best we follow Haruno Sakura's trail."

"Huh? How come?" Haiyu looked put-out at his lost opportunity to show off his tracking skills.

"Because she'll be able to figure out which direction they headed in," Naori spoke soothingly.

"And, in wanting to cut her time to reach them, she'll shave off parts of the old trail that aren't necessary, and lead away from their current position," Jun finished. Haiyu knew not to argue the logic, but he couldn't help a good pout over this.

"I wanted to track," he whined.

"Then go catch a rabbit," Jun snapped back instantly.

"Now, now," Naori held up her hands and smiled nervously. "There's no need for all that. We'll catch up in no time with your skills, Haiyu."

"That's right!" he puffed up visibly. "Just leave it to me!" He cackled eagerly.

"Dumbass," Jun rolled her eyes and sighed under her breath.

* * *

Hinata held her cold mug between white-knuckled fingers, staring into her wavy reflection in thoughtful silence. Kiba sat beside her, absentmindedly stroking a long-nailed hand along her thigh as he rested his chin in his other hand and glanced behind them, watching over Hana. The outbursts had eventually passed and both children had fallen into a fitful and restless sleep. The doctor and all the nurses had left them, one of them coming in each hour afterward to check on their conditions but nothing else had happened. Now it was nearing two in the morning and Hinata was fighting off her sleep, afraid that if she _did_ sleep then something else would happen, something worse, and she would come to their sides too late to do anything except watch helplessly as someone who wasn't their mother tended to them.

_Not again_, she swore, her fingers clenching convulsively around the porcelain mug. _They're _my_ kids. _I'll_ protect them._

On her left, Kiba was leaning further back toward her sleeping daughter's form. She heard the short rapid sniffs as he scented her condition from where he was. She glanced over to catch the frown marring his rough face.

"This doesn't make any sense," he mumbled.

"What doesn't?" she asked him.

"Hana… I don't know why, but I smell_ more_ blood on her," his brow furrowed in confusion. "Like she just suddenly sprung a wound up from nowhere—"

A sudden roar of white noise filled her head as all the images from the past few days crowded her memory. _A wound, appearing from nowhere._ Her fingers relaxed, the mug slipped from her fingertips and crashed to the white linoleum floor, spraying cold coffee over her feet and the floor as crescent-shaped shards skittered beneath Haku's bed and underneath her chair. She shot to her feet with a gasp, just on the verge of realizing something huge. She reached for it desperately, but like a receding tide it pulled further and further away from her grasp and left her with one fundamental thought: _It's happening again._

"Hinata?" Kiba called to her but she ignored him and slid past the two chairs that they had pulled together between both beds and walked purposefully toward Hana's side. She could see the red blossoms of blood spreading underneath her fresh white bandages and she reached over and pulled one of them off her skinny bicep. "Hinata, hold on—!" Kiba captured her hand and lifted it away, taking the bandage with it. They both stared as a second small nick opened up before their eyes and began to bleed sluggishly. The blood swelled, and a single fat bead of it slid thickly down the curve of her arm. Hinata hurriedly removed all of the bandages and watched as seemingly random cuts and gashes appeared mysteriously along her arms, sides, stomach, and even her legs and began to bleed.

"What's happening to her?" Kiba asked in a mystified voice.

"The same thing that happened to Haku is happening to Hana, but on a lesser scale," she said, reaching back behind her and yanking her chair around and close, plunking down into it. She clapped her white hands together, rubbed them briskly, and lay them open and facing downward, spread above her daughter's body. Shimmering greenish-teal chakra radiated from her hands and spread steadily along Hana's body, covering the little girl from head to toe. Hinata didn't fully understand how Sakura had done it, but she knew from the reports that the first initial healing jitsus had no effect on Haku, and therefore would have no effect on his sister. That meant she had to continuously heal her daughter as the random cuts manifested over her sweaty flesh, until they finally decided to close. The length of time it had taken Haku's large wound to clot over was about seven hours. She could do seven hours.

"What are you doing?" Kiba asked her, staring at the green glow apprehensively, as if he felt something about it that he didn't like. Maybe it was the bitter determination that radiated out of her chakra which was steadily filling Hana's sleeping figure.

"I'm taking care of my daughter," Hinata answered simply.

* * *

He was close; he could sense her strong presence somewhere within this hallway. Sasuke leaned against one hard stone wall and gulped in slow, careful breaths as he mentally took inventory of himself: nothing was broken, as far as he could tell, and he'd managed to get through the five consecutive battles with nothing more than some deep scratches and one shallow sword wound on his left thigh. Even though he hadn't had a chance to bandage them, the wounds seemed to be clotting anyway. He recalled the stab wound he received from the Raikage yesterday (was it _really _only yesterday? It seemed like such a long time ago…) and how incredibly fast it had healed, as if a med nin was right there with him, accelerating his stamina, blood circulation, and cell growth. And although it was absolutely impossible, he had no other explanation for his accelerated healing rate. Even now, the fact that all his blood loss should have made him light-headed and his fatigue from wasted adrenaline should have caused some slight exhaustion, he felt nothing—he corrected himself—he felt perfectly okay, as if they weren't there at all. As if someone was pouring healing chakra into him right at this very moment.

_I don't have time to stop and think about this,_ he shook his head to reorganize his thoughts. _I have to find the Raikage's cell, free her, then somehow meet back up with—_

"Oi! Sasuke!"

His heart stopped. His eyes got impossibly wide. Sasuke slowly turned, trying not to let his hope swell up in his chest, telling himself that he just wanted the _dobe_ beside him so badly that he was just hearing voices.

He wasn't.

"I've been looking all over for you!" Uzumaki Naruto ran up flashing a toothy grin. Sweat beaded his forehead, and his blonde locks were soaked with it. No red eyes, no pointed ears, no claw-like nails, no fangs, and no chakra tail. Just Naruto, with his disarming grin and playful sky blue eyes (looking a little weary but that was it) running like he'd just fallen behind in the hallways and had finally caught up. "Man, it's a mess up there!" he shook his head, stopping in front of the Uchiha and bending over, putting his hands on his knees and leaning over to catch his breath. "I guess I took it a little too far, huh?"

Sasuke could only stare, gaping openly. The Kyuubi had _told_ him this would happen, but to have Naruto—the _real_ Naruto—actually here, right in front of him, he didn't know how to react. He wanted to grab him and crush him into a hug and swear breathlessly that he would never let the other man go ever again. He wanted to actually jump up and down and throw up his arms and whoop in exuberant joy that Naruto was alive and okay. And even another part of him wanted to punch the blonde hard in the nose for making Sasuke feel alone and helpless and terrified. He wanted to do all of that and more, all at once. Instead, he lifted a trembling hand to Naruto's scarred cheek and pushed a sweaty strand of hair away from his face so he could see it close-up, without the fangs or the red eyes. His black-amber eyes bored into the blue ones, silently trying to assure himself that this was the real Naruto and that everything was falling back into place and would be _okay_ again. Naruto seemed distracted and not wholly there—Sasuke supposed it was because he was still controlling all those bunshin—but it was his _dobe_, through and through.

"I'm glad you came back to me," he said softly, having to force the words past a lump that had risen from his gut and lodged itself in his throat.

"What are you saying, Sasuke?" Naruto laughed, sounding a bit nervous. "Of _course_ I'd come back. I never really _left_ if you want to get all technical about it…"

Sasuke laid both of his hands against the cool sides of Naruto's face and lowered his lips to the other man's. "I know we don't have time for this," he whispered thickly, his eyes burning with tears that wanted to fall with his relief, "but I have to do this, or else I'll go insane."

"Did you really think I wouldn't come back to you?" the blonde touched his lover's hands tenderly, giving him a half-bemused and half-pleased grin. "Silly Sasuke, you should know me better than that. We're going to get out of here together."

"Shut up," Sasuke breathed, taking in everything before him, letting Naruto's presence soothe him, "_dobe._"

"I…" Naruto leaned up, closing his eyes, "am not…" his fingers tightened in Sasuke's, "a _dobe_."

They kissed, softly and wonderfully, and the battlefield around them was temporarily forgotten.

* * *

_Are you ready, then?_

**You don't know _how _long I've been waiting for this.**

_I can imagine._

**You do realize that once you let me out, you will no longer be able to return to those you care for. You will no longer _be_ you.**

_Is that concern I hear?_

**If you die, I am fated to die with you. I don't need to be put down by something as pathetic as a broken heart.**

_Trust me--__that won't be what kills me._

**I'll believe it when the time comes.**

_Whatever, just don't kill _everyone.

**Now you're asking for the impossible.**


	33. Winter, 8

**Notes: **I'm SUPER sorry, everyone! OMG I am such a horrible writer! DX A whole hell of a lot has gone down irl for the past half-year I was out. I tried writing more, but the only things I could produce were little one-shots, and I couldn't fit myself back into Naruto and Sasuke's shoes. Well, after getting a review out of the blue asking me if I was going to finish this story, I decided it was time to go back and struggle through it. So, I'm really sorry if my writing seems off or the characters seem totally OOC. I tried my hardest to immerse myself back in _Naruto_'s world: listened to music, re-read both stories, watched some of the anime, looked at pictures, the whole shebang. XD Hopefully, it works and this pleases you guys. Again, I'm REALLY REALLY SORRY it took so long to updade. Feel free to tell me it sucks.

Oh, btw! This is the last chapter of the story, and it'll be followed by one Winter Bonus chapter--kinda like an epilogue! Don't forget, please refrain from coming after me until I've posted up that bonus chapter, please! XD

**

* * *

**_**8**_

"She's here!"

Sasuke hurried over, fumbling with his hip pouch as he tried to pull out the lockpick he carried. Naruto, who had been pressing his ear to the door, stepped back and let the Anbu do his job.

"Glad I tagged her," he sighed, wiping his brow, "or else this would have taken twice as long!" Sasuke managed to get the picks out without dropping them and leaned forward in the almost-non-existant light to have a look at the lock. His brow furrowed as he inspected the work on it.

_Only two? _he thought bemusedly and began to work at them.

"Man, I wonder if there's anyone alive to call for backup," Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing around them nervously. "I mean, it would really suck if we managed to break her out and then we just got caught again." He laughed nervously and Sasuke tried his best to ignore the blond as he jiggled the picks in the first lock. It popped open with a light _click_.

_Now for the harder one,_ he bent over to inspect it more closely.

"Do you think someone called for backup?" he babbled on. "How many reinforcements do you think they'd call? How many are close enough to reach us before we get out? Maybe I should have told Baa-chan to send some units to the border just in case they decide to bypass us and attack Konoha directly. Do you think they'd do that?" he continued to talk without pause, not even giving an opportunity for Sasuke to answer any of his questions even if the other man had been listening. He wasn't. "Do you think they figured out where we're from? I didn't wear my headband, you know. I don't think they'll know who attacked--"

The second lock gave with a much louder _CLUNK _than the first one. Sasuke stood up, glaring impatiently at his partner.

"Naruto, I know you're anxious but can you _please _shut up?" he sighed. Naruto ignored his friend, running into the dark room. It was small and lit with only a single dull orange-yellow bulb in a little wire cage dangling from a cable attached to the cieling. When the air in the room shifted, the caged bulb began to sway, casting strange shadows in the bare room. The Raikage was tied to the only other thing in the room: a hard-looking splintery wooden chair covered with dark stains. Her head was thrown backwards, as if she had been hit and knocked unconscious and left in that position. The blonde approached her quickly and knelt,starting to undo the ropes binding her legs to the legs of the chair. He stood to untie her arms and then he took her head in his hands and touched her cheek gently.

"Definately unconscious," he nodded as he tilted her head and saw the huge bleeding gash from her cheek to her right temple. He dipped his hand into his hip pouch and yanked out his remaining gauze roll, then held out a hand to Sasuke. "Piece of cloth, folded quadruple if you can manage."

Sasuke had one better. He rummaged through his own pouch and withdrew one of the thick sterile gauze pads from the med kit Sakura had gifted him with a while ago. Naruto raised an eyebrow and a look of guilt passed between them: _We should have brought her along._

"You carry her, and I'll take the lead," the black-haired man stated as Naruto finished up the emergency binding.

"No way!" the blond shot back quickly. "I still have my kagebunshin out there! If anyone should take the lead, it should be me!"

"There isn't any time to argue about this--" Sasuke growled but Naruto was already up and out of the small room. Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh and went over to their charge.

"Everything's clear! Let's go, before reinforcements really _do _show up!" Naruto hissed from the hallway. Sasuke lifted the Raikage into his arms and followed him out.

* * *

It was in this cave, she was sure of it.

Haruno Sakura pu her map away and stepped a little ways into the abandoned cave, one of her cold hands pressing against the freezing rock.

"Naruto?" she called into the darkness. "Sasuke?"

There was no answer, but her eyes caught the reminants of a little camp: a fire circle with nothing but ash, a spill of dried blood off to one side of the small cave space, and a tin cup, dented and cast to one side as if it was left there purposefully. Even though she was in Cloud Country and her brain told her that this could be the meeting place for some of their travelling units, she knew in her heart that Naruto and Sasuke had been here. She could feel them in the small cave's air, smell their sweat and blood and almost hear the echoes of their conversations--a fight over what to have for dinner maybe. She could almost _see _it, that's how certain she was.

"I'm close," she sighed in relief, a little smile tugging at her lips, and then she turned and left to follow their freshest trail. "I'm _really _close."

* * *

They made their way quickly and quietly out of the building and through the deserted, blood-painted courtyard, stepping around bodies and over dismembered limbs. Naruto whistled softly.

"I really pulled a number on them, huh?" he sounded only half-joking.

"You did what you had to do," Sasuke grunted, shifting the Raikage's weight in his arms. He stopped to set her down and re-arrange her and the pack he was carrying, wanting his arms free if absolutely necessary. _If I put my pack on her and then carry her on my back I can get away with using at least one arm,_ he thought, moving to do just that.

"Uh, Sasuke?" Naruto called from ahead.

"What is it?" he called back, slipping his bag off his shoulders and lifting the Raikage to fit it to her torso.

"Let's say, hypothetically, we were completely surrounded. What should we do?"

"Well," he answered, securing the pack in place, "being chakra depleated, with an unconscious person, and in foreign territory, I'd say our best chance would be to run for it." He picked the Raikage up again and hoisted her onto his back, gripping her thighs to keep her in place. He came to join Naruto. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh..." Naruto glanced back at him, then faced forward again. Sasuke stood beside him and finally got a good look at the dozens of reinforcements armed and surrounding the only exit. "No reason," Naruto grinned wearily.

* * *

"I can't believe you lost the trail!" Jun threw her arms up. "After all that bragging, Mr. Uber-Tracker? _You lost the trail!_"

"I didn't _lose _it," Haiyu grumbled, pushing his mask up over his head and letting out a sigh. "I just...misplaced it."

"Oh, right," his wife snapped, "because trails can get up and walk away!"

"What about you? I don't see you putting in any effort here!" he shot back.

"Guys," Naori interrupted them. "Do you hear that?"

"What? The sound of bullshit?" Jun glared over at their leader. He made a face at her.

"No, listen," the medic placed her hands on either teammate's shoulder and willed them to be still and calm. They quieted, opening up their senses to the nature around them.

"I don't hear anything," Haiyu frowned at her.

"Exactly," Naori nodded. "Now, do you _feel _that?"

The other two paused again.

"It feels like...there _should _be noise," Jun said slowly, contemplating. "There's so much presence..."

"Like a bunch of people grouped together," Haiyu continued. "Or animals. A bunch of _somethings_ nearby."

"I don't think we need the trail anymore," the medical nin dropped her hands and stepped deeper into the skeletal forest, "do you?"

Wordlessly, the three of them speared forward into the darkness.

* * *

"I'll distract them," Naruto cast a sidelong glance in Sasuke's direction. "You take the Raikage and make a break for it."

"No way," Sasuke shook his head ever-so slightly, tightening his grip on the Raikage. "If you're staying then I'm staying."

"Sasuke, this isn't the time to debate about this," the blond growled impatiently. "When you see an opening, just _run._"

"I'm not leaving you by yourself," the black-haired Anbu snapped back.

"Who said I was alone?" Naruto grinned thinly and that's when Sasuke noticed the faintest presence of Naruto's chakra behind the main forces. His kagebunshin.

"How many are there?" he asked.

"Plenty," Naruto replied in a tone that told Sasuke it was actually much less than that.

"Naruto, I don't know if I can just leave you by yourself," his brow furrowed deeply.

"Place the Raikage on the ground and step away from her!" someone near the head of the larger group called to them.

"That's your cue, Sasuke," Naruto nodded toward the Heaven's Guard reinforcements. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"Naruto, I don't like this," Sasuke shook his head defiantly. "You're plotting something, I can feel it."

Naruto sighed and lowered his head, as if going into a state of deep thought. His shoulders straightened, he stood to his full height, and he turned away from the large group of attackers to face the other man directly.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Uzumaki Naruto spoke in an authoritive, unwavering voice. "Your mission is to escort the Raikage back to the village of Konoha safely and unharmed. Do you understand?"

Sasuke ducked his head, averting his eyes from the Hokage's piercing gaze.

"Uchiha, I won't repeat myself," the Rokudaime said in a low voice, laced with impatience. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes..." the Anbu Captain turned back, his eyes cold but his tired eyes rimmed with tears that threatened to fall. "Yes, Hokage-sama. I understand."

"Go," the blond nodded his head and the raven-haired man nodded back, swallowing hard. Carrying the Raikage, he began to come forward. Sasuke closed the distance between them, trying to stop his hands from shaking. The Heaven's Guard readied their weapons and Sasuke lowered himself to a crouch, his hands coming up to suuport the Raikage's extra weight. He paused.

From the dead trees behind the twelve dozen soldiers there came a low, threatening growl that reverberated up and down the length of the confined valley. Some of the soldiers looked around fearfully. Without any more warning, eight kagebunshin sprang out and lunged into the crowd, red eyes and silver claws blazing. Naruto himself ducked into a crouch and fire-red chakra poured out from his body and surrounded him, giving him extended ears, claws, and even a tail. Nine Kyuubi-Narutos tore into the soldiers. Sasuke saw several men fall over screaming as one of the Narutos blasted past them, tearing each of their sides open. He gripped the Raikage tightly and shot for the opening, ducking the Kyuubi's fire and leaping over the weapons of some soldiers still intent on stopping him. Nine chilling howls pierced the air and made a shudder rip down Sasuke's spine. He made it into the trees, glancing back over his shoulder, trying to find the real Naruto before he disappeared from sight. He was there, and it was as if he had swelled in size. Sasuke realized that Naruto had two firey chakra tails and that one of the kagebunshin was missing and then the battle was lost behind the trees.

* * *

The ferral howls rose and twisted into the sky, echoing angrily against the snow-covered ground. Sakura jumped and stumbled to a stop, looking around for what had made the noise. _Snow wolves?_ she thought, but that hadn't sounded like a normal wolf. _Rabid snow wolves?_ She was still uncertain. And then she heard a large thing crashing through the dead branches ahead of her, coming closer. Alone and terrified, she stumbled backward, lifting her arms defensively, her wide teal eyes darting this way and that, trying to see it before it saw her. And then Uchiha Sasuke spilled out of the trees, looking wild and scared.

"_Sasuke!_" she shrieked and he almost threw a kunai at her, but he saw her and nearly fell over with his relief.

"Sakura..." he panted and she ran over to him as he fell to his knees, letting the Raikage slide off his shoulders and onto the snow. "Naruto..."

"Naruto! Where's Naruto?" she glanced around quickly, holding her hands on his shoulders and trying to let her healing chakra pour into him. He grabbed her hands and held them away, stopping her. He tilted his head toward the Raikage.

"She needs it more than I do," he stood and Sakura rose to, helping him steady himself.

"Please, Sasuke, you're disoriented," she begged him. "You're exhausted. I can't let you go anywhere until I--"

"If I don't go back, Naruto will die!" he shouted and she trembled at his words. _This can NOT be happening...!_

"And if _you _go back in this kind of state, you won't be able to help him at all!" she placed the flat of her palm against his chest, right over his heart, and murmured a few words. Her healing chakra burst into him like a flood, sweeping up and down his body, filling him with adrenaline and energy. He blinked, his head clear, and stared questioningly at her. "It's kind of like a shot of adrenaline," she explained, ducking out from under his arm. "Medical nins use it on themselves when they're exhausted so they can perform longer."

Sasuke paused, feeling the blood pumping hot in his veins. He nodded at her: "I'm sorry."

Sakura shook her head. "Just go help Naruto. Bring him back here."

"I will," he promised, and turned back the way he'd come. He ran into the forest and Sakura knelt beside the Raikage to see what she could do to help.

* * *

A twig snapped behind them and Haiyu and Jun pulled out their swords and whipped around, lining their blades against Uchiha Sasuke's throat. He had two kunai clenched in his fists, aimed at their hearts. They froze, and then:

"Sasuke!" Haiyu grinned, sheathing his sword. "I'm glad we finally found you--"

"No time," Sasuke tucked his kunai back in his belt and Jun retracted her blade as well. "Naori, Haruno Sakura is in a clearing a few yards from here with the Raikage. I want you two to carry her back to Konoha _right now._ Haiyu, Jun, you two need to come with me: the Hokage's in trouble."

"When is there _not _trouble with the Hokage?" Haiyu scoffed and saluted Sasuke.

"On your command, Captain," Jun saluted as well.

"Right away, Sasuke-san!" Naori nodded and ran in the direction Sasuke had come from. The three remaining Anbu turned and headed to the Hokage's aid.

* * *

His breath rolled out of his lungs in hot, low rumbling growls. His tongue lolled out from between his fangs, dripping thick burning spittle onto the muddy ground and his large sharp eyes scanned the ruined terrian for survivors. Not one. He lifted his head and howled loudly in satisfaction, swishing his nine thick tails in exalted joy. Three figures came out of the trees and stared up at him; he could smell their confusion and fear. He growled threateningly, flattening his ears back and lowering his angular head to the ground, his thick mane of golden coppery fur soaking in the mixture of mud and blood he stood in. One of the figures pulled apart from the group and stepped closer. His growl intensified, his lips pulling back over his long sharp teeth in a threatening snarl.

"Naruto..." the voice carried up to his ears. "Naruto...?"

And the sadness and sorrow in that voice was like a finely-bladed surgical knife: it sliced through the single persona and seperated _he _from _it._

* * *

_Give me back my body. It's over._

**Like I said: I've been waiting for this **_**way **_**too long. It's my body now.**

_Don't make me do this. _

**You wouldn't. You care too much about those people. Your "friends".**

_I _will _do it. I promised that I'd go back with them. Either you cooperate and go back into the seal, or I shut down our joint consciousness and the two of us stay trapped in here and go nowhere._

**If you've figured out how to lock down your consciousness, I'll****find a way to unlock it again.**

_I doubt it; like I said, it's _my _body and it'll do what _I _want it to._

**It's **_**MY **_**body now! It's **_**MINE**__**!**_

* * *

Sasuke, Haiyu, and Jun skidded to a halt as soon as they burst into the clearing and saw the dismembered bodies, the thick red-brown mixture of mud and blood painting the landscape, and of course, the enormous fox demon with nine tails swaying in the sky. It lowered its head and growled menacingly at them and Jun and Haiyu began to tremble in fear.

"Oh my god," Jun breathed.

"Holy shit, it's going to kill us," Haiyu shook, no trace of humor at all in his voice.

Sasuke shook his head: "No, it won't kill us." Then he strode forward into the clearing.

"Sasuke!" the other two hissed in terror.

He ignored them, stepping closer to the fox and opening his arms. "Naruto..." he sighed, not knowing what else to say, not knowing if his friend could even hear him at all. "Naruto...?"

And then the Kyuubi visibly paused, and Sasuke could actually see that it was turned in on itself, it was thinking to itself. Did that mean...that Naruto _had _heard him?

"Let's go back, Naruto," Sasuke said to the demon fox. "Let's go home. Everyone's waiting for us."

The fox's eyes flickered. Sasuke stepped even closer and it growled, but the sound was uncertain and held no trace of intent.

"Sakura came," he said softly, as if coaxing a child. "She must have been really worried about us. Don't you think we should both go back and meet her?"

Still the demon hesitated, it's eyes gleaming, rolling back and forth in their sockets. The next growl was more of a rumbling sigh. Sasuke took three more steps and he was there, in front of the mouth of the huge beast, and his head didn't even reach the tip of its quivering black nose. His arms came around to hug the monster, and he lay his head against it, and he hugged the Kyuubi.

"Please, don't leave me, Naruto," he begged. "Please, don't go. I need you here with me, so please, come back. Fight it and come back."

The Kyuubi inhaled, sniffing Sasuke. It made a low rumbling sound in its throat that wasn't a growl at all, it was a _purr. _The yellow eyes finally stopped roving, they settled on him, they saw him, and then they closed.

_Now I know for certain, _a voice spoke in his head and caught Sasuke completely by surprise. _You'll wait for me, no matter what._

And the Kyuubi Kitsune fell asleep. As soon as the last tail hit the ground, its entire body lit up with flames, making Sasuke jump back. Then as quickly as it happened, the flamed stopped and the Kyuubi Kitsune was nowhere to be seen. Only Naruto lay sprawled out on the ground facedown.

"Naruto!" he rushed back over, throwing himself to his knees beside the blond. "Naruto!" He scooped him up into his arms and lifted him out of the blood and mud. "Naruto?" He quickly passed a hand over his nose and mouth and then down to his neck, checking for vitals. His breathing was very soft but regular, and his heart pulsed steadily. He was sleeping. Sasuke sighed in relief and then let out a weak laugh. He looked back over his shoulder at Jun and Haiyu, who were standing back with identical looks of surprise and relief mixed on their faces. "He's okay," he said breathlessly. "Naruto's alive."

And then Sasuke's eyes rolled back in his head and he knew no more.


	34. Winter Tears Bonus

_**Winter Tears: Bonus Chapter**_

The pretty concubine lowered her eyes shyly, her soft black hair glowing gently in the light of the moon coming through the window of the bedroom window. It made her skin radiate and glow, like a pearl. The man reached for her with greedy hands, lust painted in his eyes. A slight shadow dropped from the ceiling unheard and unseen, and rose up behind the man. Silver glinted in the moonlight and then a spray of hot blood fanned up into the air, splattering the concubine and spilling out onto the floor and striking the ceiling. The dark figure rose, wiped its katana blade clean, and turned to the young woman.

"Are you hurt?" they asked her.

"No, I'm fine," the girl rose and smiled kindly at the shadow. "You did splendidly."

The _henge_ jitsu disabled and Haku returned to normal, shrugging off the thin silk robes and using them to clean up his face and arms. His sister handed him a clean bundle of uniform, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Haku, why in god's name would you volunteer for something like this?" she rolled her eyes. "I _am_ the girl, you know."

"Would you have been comfortable giggling and flirting with the target?" Haku said seriously, but one corner of his mouth quirked up in a small grin. Hana grumbled something in the negative and Haku took the uniform from her, beginning to change. "Check him for the scroll. I'll secure an exit."

"Right," Hana nodded and knelt beside the bloody mess to paw around for the mission's objective: a scroll containing a design for a new cannon-type weapon.

* * *

"Thank you for coming to visit, Kazekage," Konohamaru extended his hand in greeting. The red-haired man shook the offered hand and glanced around the hallway.

"Where are the others?" Gaara asked the younger man.

"Ah, the Hokage is on the seventh floor with Haruno Sakura-san. I've been instructed to take you there, if you'd please follow me."

Konohamaru bowed respectfully and led the way, Gaara following with Temari and Kankuro in tow.

* * *

"Where's Sasuke-san?" Mako Naori blinked as she swiveled her head this way and that, trying to spot the aforementioned man in the meeting room. Kigeki Jun, her partner, shook her head from her seat, one hand placed on her large and swollen belly.

"He's not coming today. Haiyu's in charge of today's meeting," she explained.

"Oh," Naori sat beside her and smiled softly. "His friends are coming from the Sand Country, right?"

* * *

Hana rushed forward as soon as she saw the gates, her feet fumbling in the thick white snow clumps that covered the road. Her brother kept his slow, steady pace behind her, using his chakra to walk atop the powdery whiteness, his head bowed in thought.

"Haku, hurry up! Mom's at the gate!" Hana yelled back at him. He looked up from his contemplation to see their mother waving to them from the gates and he too rushed forward with elation.

"Mother!" he cried joyfully. "We're home!"

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Sakura smiled kindly at her friend.

"Of course I'm not nervous," Sasuke snorted, almost sounding offended by the question. "Why would I be?"

"It's been a year since Gaara's come to visit Naruto," she grinned playfully. "You think he'll try to hog all the attention today, since you're here all year round?"

"Pfft, he can try," Sasuke sounded even more put out. Sakura giggled and then the door opened and Konohamaru stepped in, moving to the side to let Gaara and the others pass into the room.

"Announcing, the Kazekage Gaara from the Valley of the Sand and his two subordinates, Temari and Kankuro."

Sasuke rose from his chair to welcome them. Sakura moved to one side and bowed respectfully as Gaara approached.

"Welcome back, Kazekage," Sasuke extended his hand in greeting. Gaara took it firmly and shook it, looking into Sasuke's eyes with his own piercing green gaze. Words failed him for a second, and then he took in a breath and said:

"Thank you, Hokage."

* * *

"Naruto's condition has continued to remain stable," Sakura briefed them as they ascended the building, all crammed into the elevator. "He is responsive to outside stimulus, and his eyes continue to move in a REM-cycle manner, indicating that he is still conscious and dreaming. Of what, we are still uncertain, but we are assuming it has to do with the Kyuubi Kitsune."

The elevator _ding_ed and the doors parted and the group stepped out into the topmost floor of the hospital. Beside them, the second set of doors opened up and three others stepped out too: Uchiha Hinata, Haku, and Hana. The children noticed first.

"DADDY!" Hana sprang forward and wrapped her arms around her father's waist, hugging him tightly. Haku, always the more refined, bowed a respectful greeting to Sakura and Gaara, then went over to his father as well.

"You two made it home safely, I'm glad," Saskue smiled down at his children, one hand on each of their heads. He ruffled their hair a bit, and then stepped back, clearing his throat. "Now…"

The twins knew exactly how to proceed. They lost their playful and happy demeanors and straightened, saluting the former Anbu Captain.

"Sir!" they both chimed.

"Here is the mission objective, sir," Haku handed over the scroll. Sasuke took it from him.

"Did you have any problems?" he asked them.

"No, sir!" Hana saluted again. "Everything went flawlessly."

"Very good," Sasuke nodded. "Go report to the captain now."

The twins hesitated.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Haku spoke up.

"Go ahead, son," Sasuek nodded.

"…may we please go visit Uncle Naruto with you before we report?" the boy begged, his Anbu demeanor gone.

"Oh, please, Daddy! Can we?" Hana jumped up, her eyes wide and pleading. "We have to tell him all about how we stopped the making of all these bad weapons!"

Sasuke smiled. "He'd like to hear that. Yes, you can stay-" The twins cheered. "-but only for a few minutes! You still have to report to Haiyu."

"We will! We promise!" Hana was already shooting up the hall with Haku hot on her heels. The adults looked on after them for a moment. Hinata broke their silence first.

"Welcome back, Kazekage," she bowed to Gaara.

"Hello, Hinata-san," he smiled lightly at her. "I see they're still a handful."

"Everything's going very well for them," Hinata smiled back. The group began up the hall after the twins as they spoke.

"Hana is applying to be the leader of her squadron soon," Sasuke informed them. "Haku has been debating dropping out of the Anbu to study the position of Hokage more seriously now that they've just turned sixteen."

"If you'd like, so there is not an outcry of favoritism, I can tutor him," Gaara offered.

Sasuke grinned. "Thank you very much for the offer, but the Raikage has already volunteered to do so."

"She never told me," Gaara looked very surprised.

"She wants to create a closer bond with the Fire country, and so she suggested this when the discussion of recruiting a Shichidaime came about at the last Kage meeting."

They were at the room door. They could hear Hana and Haku babbling away at Naruto's sleeping form inside. Sakura held the door latch for a moment, looked back at her friends, and smiled. It looked a little painful, and each of them felt an echo of that pain in their hearts, but then she opened the door and the feeling was gone and everyone stepped into the clean white room and went over to the bed where there were chairs set up for them and sat and looked upon the sleeping Rokudaime Hokage.

* * *

The door slid open. Sasuke looked up from his papers.

"You're still here?" Nara Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck and came forward, holding a manilla folder in one hand.

"I fell behind with the Kazekage's arrival today," he shrugged. "I'm almost done. Why are you still here?"

"Working to make Konoha a war-free zone," he plopped the folder onto Sasuke's stack of work. "What else am I good for?"

"Thanks for all your help, Shikamaru," Sasuke said, sitting back in his chair. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"Bull," the lanky man snorted. "You're perfectly capable of doing this job without any help from me."

"That's not true," Sasuke said in all seriousness, his hands folded and his chin propped atop them. "Since you stayed extra-late to help, I want you to have tomorrow off. Gaara and I will be discussing things up here in my office, so Temari and Kankuro will have nothing to do." He inclined his eyebrow meaningfully at his last statement.

The other man turned red and rubbed the back of his neck again, nervously this time. "Um… thanks."

He left the office. Sasuke took the reports he left and didn't even bother looking through them. He put them on top of the stack that he'd moved aside to address tomorrow morning and stood, giving a little yawn. It really was late. He should go home.

Sasuke looked out the window and saw the tall scale of the hospital building, dark and silent. His mouth moved automatically without him knowing it: "Naruto…"

* * *

The darkness swallowed the two of them whole, making Sasuke feel naked almost. The silence was thick and cool. He didn't dare breathe loud, fearing that it would literally shatter the quiet as loud as glass breaks. As it was, he could hear his heartbeat thudding slowly in the dark, and he could hear faintly, Naruto's own heartbeat going slowly, softly, reassuring. His hand reached out in the dark. It found the cool dry skin of Naruto's wrist. He trailed it down to Naruto's fingers and entwined them loosely, his thumb caressing the back of his hand, brushing gently.

"Naruto, I miss you…" he breathed, not even wanting to whisper, knowing that still, his lover could hear him. "I miss you so much that it hurts. All the time, like a hand has reached into my chest and is squeezing my heart and won't let go. I miss you more than the night misses the day, more than deserts miss rain, and I want you to come back. Please come back…"

He lowered his head for a brief moment to weep in the dark that hid him from everything except the other man before him. But he had no shame crying in front of this man. This was his love, his life, his absolute everything. This was the man who gave him a second chance on life, taught him to be human again, taught him things like laughter and love. He taught him all about sleepless nights and love-making, about sweat and tears, about _just being yourself _and having the courage to know that the people who loved you would except you, no matter what. So much. So very much. What had he given the other man in return?

"It's my fault," he sobbed through the dark. "I didn't love you enough, I didn't hold you enough, I didn't touch you, kiss you, pay attention to you, I didn't give you anything. All I did was selfishly take all you'd given me, and not once did I think to repay you in any way. I…" he hiccupped. "It's my…"

And wordlessly, silently, a gentleness spread throughout the room. It spiraled from the bed at the center and draped itself over Sasuke, soothing and calming him. His heart gave another painful sqeeuze-even now, in this state, Naruto was somehow trying to comfort him. How could he be so selfish? Naruto needed him to be strong. Sasuke wiped his eyes with his free hand, ran it back through his hair, and swallowed. He would be strong.

"I'll wait for you, no matter what," he whispered, brought Naruto's hand up to his face, and kissed it softly.

* * *

_Sasuke…_

_Why are you crying…?_

_Don't be sad…_

_Tell me, Sasuke…_

_Tell me why you're crying._

_Why are you crying?_

_Why?_

_Sasuke._

_Sasuke…_

* * *

"…Sasuke?"


End file.
